Taming Lightning
by kurahieiritr JIO
Summary: When Laxus forces Fairy Tail into combat before Fantasia, Master Makarov's health fails. Taking over Fairy Tail, Laxus coerces Lucy into becoming his secretary with intentions of making her his bed mate. Lucy's not just pretty, but has powers that dark guilds will fight to claim. Alternate Universe- Fused together arcs.
1. Chapter 1

TAMING LIGHTENING: by Kurahieiritr JIO

When Laxus forces Fairy Tail into combat before the Fantasia Parade, Master Makarov's health fails, rendering him unable to lead the guild. Taking over Fairy Tail, in all but title, Laxus coerces Lucy into becoming his secretary, and woman. Lucy proves she is far more than a pretty face as she struggles to protect the guild and remain independent. With her father desperate to abduct Lucy to reverse his failing railways, she's also a trouble magnet who Laxus finds strangely addictive. Can Laxus resist once Lucy decides to tame her new Guild Master? A/U

A/N: I do not own Fairy Tail or make money off of this story. This is an alternative universe Laxus x Lucy story. I'm bored with the cliche Lucy gets kicked out of Team Natsu/the guild stories. Such tales are almost all I can find for this pairing, so I decided to write a different kind of story that has nothing to do with the status quot! In fact I challenge other authors to get rid of the stale story line and create something amazing and fresh also. If people like this first chapter, let me know and I will continue it. If people only want to read evil Natsu and Lisanna verse, I suppose folks will let me know.

CHAPTER ONE

"You morons will stay in the beer hall because you're too loud and obnoxious. If you can't do that, I'll make you wish you'd never been born." Laxus snapped, wondering if his grandfather was improving as he headed toward the infirmary.

A glare shot at Natsu and the Phantom Lord interloper, Gajeel, halted their strides. They obviously wanted to follow Laxus into the room so they could bother the people inside. The pair glared at Laxus as he forbid them access, specifically to the Heartfilia girl. It was no surprise that they wanted to bother her because Lucy Heartfilia had a way of wrapping people around her little finger with her brilliant smile. However, Laxus was not going to put up with the destructive duo wrecking the infirmary for their own amusement.

Laxus had forced the guild into a battle with their guild mates to determine how fairy tail's members needed to be handled based on their test scores. The information received from Freed's rune barriers allowed Laxus to check the areas of battle, most of which were between various barriers which were set to trigger whenever the guild mark entered the space designated. The level of damage done had determined various mages' fates over the week that followed the Fantasia parade.

As expected, Natsu and Gajeel were among the most destructive, and least thoughtful of the whole guild. Laxus needed to get both under control now that he was running the guild while his grandfather convalesced in an infirmary bed. With Rune Knights on the property, exactly as Laxus had feared would happen when he set his plans in motion, things were only held together because Laxus had convinced the Council that he would turn Fairy Tail around. He even gave the council all the data from his Strongest of Fairy Tail battle royal to convince them to wait before shutting the guild down.

Trailing after Levi into the infirmary, Laxus halted at the foot of his grandfather's bed. Taking in the image of his grandfather's face which was parchment pale, and strangely slack, drool seeping out the side of Makarov's mouth visage was heart breaking. The smell of medicinal herbs and an undistinguished wrongness tightened Laxus guts. Porlyusica glared at him as she continued to work on saving Makarov's life.

"How's Gramps doing?"

"As well as can be expected. Why do you even bother asking? You caused Maky's heart attack and stroke." Porlyusica snarled at Laxus, venting her ire over being stuck at the Guild hall with so many patients under her care.

"It wasn't supposed to turn out like this! Gramps was supposed to realize that he can't keep the Council at bay much longer and turn the guild over to me! Hell, I'm the one that convinced them not to shut Fairy Tail down and that took me most of the week to accomplish." Laxus growled, watching the frail man laying on the bed.

Makarov's eyes opened, glazed and unfocused. Stepping up to the side of the bed so he was easily seen, Laxus kept his features bland with difficulty. Despite their differences, Laxus did love his grandfather. Makarov had made his childhood bearable. When his own father tortured him to make him stronger by implanting the lacrima in his body, Makarov had been the one who made the torment of adjustment bearable for Laxus. However, when it came to being too hide bound and stubborn for anyone's good, Makarov was almost unstoppable at times. Laxus hoped the stubborn streak would insure that his Grandfather overcame his illness faster than Porlyusica seemed the believe possible.

A gurgle erupted from Makarov's mouth as he tried to speak. "Stop it, Old Man. Don't try to talk. You need to focus on getting well. I won't let Fairy Tail get shut down, or you take the fall! One Dreyer screwing up our family name is already one too many. I'm going to make sure things get turned around one way or another. The rest of the idiots in the Guild may not be aware of what's at stake, but I found out about the Council's plans. Hiding it has made everything worse, Old Man. You've gone soft on them for too long, and they're repaying you by destroying their guild's reputation."

Laxus leaned over his grandfather's face, something akin to understanding and sorrow flashing within the old man's eyes. "You can't bring yourself to reign them in, but I will. I will stop the Council's abuse, and prevent Fairy Tail from being disbanded from here on, Gramps. Use your anger at me to get yourself well enough to fight if you feel you have to. Just keep in mind that I'm not going to stand by and watch you get stripped of your place as a Wizard Saint, and thrown into prison. You refuse to do what needs to be done. You don't agree with me, but I'm going to turn things around before it's too late. Unlike you, I'll get the results the Magic Council demanded from you. I won't tolerate any more trash attitudes in Fairy Tail! We won't be a laughing stock any longer. We also won't be the biggest problem the Magic Council has now that I'm in the position to change things."

Levi's gasp was ignored as Laxus straightened. "Is there anything you need to insure Gramps gets well, Porlyusica?"

The old pink haired healer glared as she stepped up beside Makarov's bed across from Laxus. "I've stabilized his heart, and am doing everything I know to help him recover from the stroke. Strokes are always tricky because of the damage they do to the mind. No real cure exists. I blame you for this, Moron. Even if you did everything to protect your grandfather, you've done everything the wrong way! Now get out of my way, and let me work in peace. The girl's awake so go see her and then get out!"

"If you need anything at all, make sure I get the message." Laxus spoke in a level tone despite his desire to roar all of his barely contained rage at everyone and everything.

The infirmary was still housing several injured mages, a thing Laxus had counted on. However, some of the individuals who were currently trapped in beds had landed there for reasons Laxus had never dreamed possible. One such unexpected case was the Celestial Spirit Mage, Lucy Heartfilia. The woman had proven that she had plenty of guts to go alongside her power and beauty. However, she was getting to be as reckless as Natsu in Laxus opinion. Her stubborn insistence to take out several of the large floating lacrimas Laxus had planted around Magnolia during the fight had almost killed her.

Stopping at the foot of her specific bed, Laxus glared at the woman wrapped in bandages. "Did you learn anything from trying to do such stupid heroics, Blondie?"

"Yeah. I learned I can survive taking down three of your lacrimas." Lucy shot back with what looked like a belligerent gleam in her eyes.

"The only reason you're alive is I chose to draw my magic out of your system before you died. Of all the trash mages in this guild, I expected a much better performance from you. You passed the first test when you beat Bickslow, and then turned around and failed the second one in such a spectacular fashion that I'm not even sure why I kept you alive right now!" Laxus roared in return.

Seeing the shock that registered in toffee colored eyes gave Laxus pause. Yet if he was going to insure Fairy Tail's future, and make it a much stronger guild that was above ridicule, tearing into this sexy little rich girl was as vital as beating common sense into Natsu Dragneel's stubborn hide.

"What are you saying? What tests?" Lucy asked as she tried to catch up.

Pulling out her specific file, Laxus opened it and double checked which keys the woman owned. "Do you not own the silver key for Crux?"

A frown marred Lucy's features, confusion obvious. "Yes. But I don't underst . . ."

"Your lack of thinking is the whole reason you're laying in the infirmary covered in mild electric burns! You have a spirit capable of finding ways of dismantling the Thunder Palace safely, yet you never bothered to call on it to get any answers! Your magic depends on quick thinking, and strategy to work! But instead of using your head, you've let that damned fire eating menace dictate how you use your magic, Blondie! You have a rare magic to begin with, and you're not even paying attention to what your spirits strengths are. Even if you've been relegated to acting as the support for your team, you should be a far greater asset than this." Laxus snapped at the woman, intent upon preventing her from making excuses.

Head bowed to hide her eyes beneath her hair, Lucy sat for several moments. "I'm sorry. I'm not sure what you want from me. I don't see my spirits as tools because they're my friends."

"I really don't care to hear your excuses for your reckless screw up, Blondie. I thought you and Erza would manage to find a safer alternative to dismantle the hostage situation I created, but you both failed. Erza's Lightening Empress armor has the capability of absorbing lightening safely. You have spirits capable of giving you all the information you need to devise common sense plans, and help you execute them safely. Yet both of you became so focused on your own actions that you didn't bother to rely on your friends, or try to find ways to protect yourselves in trying to overcome the situation I created to test your skills and thinking capacities. Friends depend on each other, and they work together to protect each other. On a mission, everyone in the team has to understand everyone else's strengths and weaknesses. You have a spirit that can find enough information to create a decent strategy to overcome something like the Thunder Palace, and you ignored your spirit's strength for whatever stupid reason you told yourself. You had Bickslow down and out of commission. You also had time to use your brains and call on the one spirit in your possession that could have given you the information required to safely dismantle my Palace. You failed because you refused to recognize the assets you already have in favor of acting like a reckless moron. Don't let it happen again!" Laxus snapped before closing the file and turning to leave.

"I'm sorry. I'll train harder from now on." Lucy's soft voice caught Laxus attention.

Facing the doorway where he could see Natsu pounding on the rune barrier, and shouting in silence, Laxus chose to use one last dig to remind the girl where she came from. "You better believe it, Blondie. You're one of the few people in this guild who should realize what leadership requires. You were raised to be a leader, even if it was only supposed to be leading a household as a socialite. The women of that world are expected to use their cunning to insure their husbands look good for everyone else, and insure their family status never gets injured. Fortunes are made and broken by women in the elite ranks all the damned time. Fairy Tail is about to be shut down, and everyone needs you to help salvage things before the Magic Council changes their mind to give us one last chance."

Stomping out of the infirmary, Laxus shoved Natsu to the side, and started to walk to his grandfather's office. "What is your problem, Laxus? Why won't you let me see Luce? And what did you say to her?"

Stopping, Laxus twisted his upper body enough to take in the seething Dragon Slayer. "I pointed out the truth, Flame Brain. How Blondie chooses to deal with it is her own damned problem. Now get back to what you're supposed to be doing before the Rune Knights report that we aren't trying to get our shit together and gets the okay to shut Fairy Tail down for good."

"Did you kick Luce out of the guild over their empty threat? The council won't shut us down!" Natsu whined.

Whirling to face the younger man, Laxus felt his magic rising to the surface, electricity sparking along his arms. "How the hell do you manage to delude yourself so completely, Natsu? The only reason we haven't been disbanded already is because I managed to convince the Magic Council to give us time to improve our behavior on missions! You're one of this guild's biggest liabilities when it comes to destroying public and private property! Your team is currently considered the greatest threat to Fiore's normal citizens! Your absolute refusal to use your head is one of the leading factors in the Council's last decision which I barely got put on hold for ninety days. Have you already forgotten the disbanding order with the emergency deferral that I got for us? It's sitting on the job request board in the main beer hall for everyone to see! Get it through your thick skull that we are on our last chance to redeem ourselves! Either you get on board with repairing our guild's reputation, or you get the hell out, Natsu! I'm fighting to save our whole fucking guild, and I don't need assholes who refuse to get on board with the program to be here any longer!"

Furious with the willful ignorance Natsu displayed, Laxus stalked away before he did something that would land Natsu in the infirmary. Considering how the immature dragon Slayer thought, Laxus did not put it past Natsu to get himself hurt even worse than he had gotten during their battle in the cathedral so he could bother Lucy Heartfilia, and all the other injured people inside the infirmary. Having already paid for the repairs to the damaged cathedral insured that the guild was forgiven by the church. Convincing the Magic Council that he had intended to test his guild mates to see what the real problems were with their mission behaviors was the only reason Fairy Tail still existed. To make good on his promise to reform Fairy Tail, Laxus had all the able bodied members cleaning up the battle sites. People like Laki were proving quite capable of repairing buildings to the specifications of their owners so long as Freed, Bickslow and Evergreen kept a close enough eye on them.

Nothing was going as Laxus had planned, on several fronts. The unexpected glitches made Laxus even angrier than he was when he devised this plan of action. Once his enhanced hearing had picked up the conversation his grandfather was having with a Council Member who laid down numerous threats, Laxus knew it was time to force the old man to retire for his own good. Doting on the numerous borderline delinquents who were filling the guild was the last thing Makarov should have done once the Council began demanding change from all Fairy tail mages.

With the Thunder Legion's help, Laxus had convinced the Council to give him a ninety day reprieve to try and change the way the guild handled missions. As much as Laxus despised weakness, he despised sloppiness even more. Weaklings could be useful enough, if confined to the correct kinds of tasks that suited their abilities. Levi McGarden was a perfect example of a useful yet weak powered mage. The young woman was an impressive translator. Over the week that Laxus had been running things, he had discovered that the young woman was one of the few guild members with a good reputation. Shadow Gear managed to get recommendation letters and similar types of positive feed back. To Laxus, weak or not, such a good team deserved to be recognized. The only problem was how to accomplish the recognition in a way that would spark other, more destructive teams to emulate Shadow Gear's behavior.

Entering the guild office, Laxus sighed at the numerous resorted stacks of paperwork, wondering where his green haired friend had gotten to considering how tall the piles were when Laxus took over. "How's the straightening up coming along, Freed?"

Popping his head around one of the taller stacks, Freed gave him a frazzled look. "The tallest pile of complaints belong to Team Natsu, as you predicted, Laxus Sama. The others deal in specific mages from Team Natsu, with Natsu being the second most destructive member following after Erza. It seems Erza is going to need patience training. Many of the complaints about her concern violence against citizens and even local police agencies when she does not get answers fast enough to suit her."

A sigh heaved from Laxus lungs as he dropped Heartfilia's file onto the second desk he had brought into the office to help sort out the messy condition of the filing system. Freed waved a packet of spread sheets in the air, to catch Laxus attention.

"How many times has Erza knocked someone out for not answering her fast enough to suit her, Freed?"

"According to the complaints I have sorted out so far, three hundred and forty four people have been knocked out after being given less than ten seconds to respond during the last year. I'm still finding more such complaints, so the final tally is unknown. It is a common complaint the victims have. Erza does not give anyone a chance to process her question before they are head butted. Most cases awaken in the hospital several hours later, many with fractured skulls and concussions."

Groaning over the numbers of people involved, Laxus managed to get into his chair as the weight of what he had done to himself bore down upon his shoulders. In terms of sheer destruction, Team Natsu did pretend to be the guild's strongest. However, they were anything but strong enough to curb their own recklessness. Considering how many civilians were also getting hurt by the idiots, it was no wonder that the Magic Council was a hair's breadth from closing the guild for good. If not for the Council's stipulations for the deferral, Laxus would have gotten rid of three out of four members of Team Natsu on principle so that their guild could recover from the insane number of fines yet to be paid off.

"In other words, I need to find a way to force Erza and Flame Brain to calm down when they are on missions. How bad is Gray's reputation?"

"Gray's mission complaints are considerably lower than Natsu or Erza's so long as he is solo. The opposite seems to be the case whenever he and Natsu are together. It appears they act as if they are in the beer hall during missions."

"Time to dissolve Team Natsu until those three learn some self control. I already know that Blondie's not a problem. Everyone in the guild sees her as the damsel in distress of their team. I'm thinking of having her help get this disaster cleaned up so we can get the guild back into full operation sooner. The back log is more than you and I are going to be able to handle within the ninety days we've been given to get everything straightened out." Laxus grumbled.

"I'm sure Miss Lucy will be a great asset in this office. Plus, with her constant panic about getting her rent paid, a salary will go far to sweeten the deal." Freed pointed out as he continued to shuffle papers, and marking off tallies as he glanced over the forms.

"Agreed. We should put Blondie to work where she can do the most good. We have a tight schedule to turn our image around, and I'm looking forward to using that girl's knowledge to the fullest in order to turn Fairy Tail into the strongest guild in this nation."

The results of the Fairy Tail battles had startled Laxus, especially Bickslow's loss to Lucy Heartfilia. The sinfully sexy bit of high society had proven she was more than a simpering arm ornament bred and raised to slake a powerful man's lust. Such magical strength only made Laxus more intent upon making Heartfilia his woman for however long he wanted her sharing his bed. Since the petite blond haired wench survived her stupidity, Laxus was going to insure she understood who was in control from now on.

As with other high society women who had sought Laxus out, Heartfilia would bow to his will, and enjoy every minute of attention he chose to give her. Laxus had watched her prance around the Guild long enough to recognize her major weaknesses. Using her weaknesses to Laxus advantage would be easy, especially knowing what he did about the Council's demands. Laxus even had the demands in print to throw in the younger woman's face if needed in order to get her cooperation. Once ensnared, Lucy Heartfilia would do anything to keep the guild operational, and Laxus was counting on her obsession with promise keeping to make certain she complied.

Make her closest friends squirm, and Heartfilia's resistance would crumple. Heiresses were not known for having the kind of internal fortitude needed to continue fighting for long. Depravity and hunger were unknown to such women so Freed's suggestion of giving her a salary to help do paperwork was a great idea. Include baubles, and the woman would simper just like the rest of her ilk had in the past over his attentions Laxus figured. At least his plans were beginning to come together again, if not in the time frames Laxus had believed. Once he had the heiress eating out of the palm of his hand, he could get her to do anything he wanted, the same as always happened.

However, the little simpering rich girl had gone and gotten herself badly hurt which was not part of Laxus plans for her. If her stupid stunt left scars, Laxus was going to be even angrier with her. The young woman was still too innocent for her own good, but, . . . she still had a gorgeous body that needed to stay scar free. If anyone was to blame for her crazy stunt, it had to be Natsu's ongoing influence over her behavior. To think that Lucy had stooped so low as to act the same way, as if seeking Natsu's approval galled Laxus to no end. Separating them was also becoming an obvious necessity.

"Since Blondie's awake, she should be able to start working in here tomorrow morning. She's in no shape to go on missions right now. Let her know about the situation with getting the backlog out of the way and the reality facing our guild. I want Natsu and Erza in here two hours from now, Freed. It's time I deal with their ongoing stupidity before they bankrupt our guild."

With a nod, Freed handed over the spread sheets, and left the room. With another groan, Laxus began scanning each guild member's statistics, namely the problems each member caused most often. Part of the conditions for staying open was Laxus devising solutions that would correct the over abundance of complaints and fines the guild had to pay out each month.

As Lahar had informed them when he delivered the temporary reprieve, paying off the backlog of fines to the Magic Council was also necessary to keep their deferment for disbanding in place. Yet one more headache Laxus wished his grandsire had thought to address long ago. Higher guild membership fees would not begin to cover the fines handed down by the Magic Council, mostly ignored outright it seemed to Laxus. Fines from various cities had been handled first, if only to keep Fairy Tail mages in business. However, the Magic Council was owed in excess of twelve million jewels, and that was no small amount to cover. As finances were not Laxus strong suit, he was at a loss for how to pay the fines and interest incurred for the balance overdue.

Unwilling to allow himself the luxury of a good panic, Laxus grabbed a stack of the older complaints and paperwork that needed to be completed and filed. Grabbing the Guild Master's book Lahar had left for him that explained filling out the paperwork, Laxus settled into doing the job he insisted that he wanted. Considering the mess to clean up, Laxus was now wondering about his choice to take the guild from his grandfather. Getting time to go on missions would be next to impossible until everything was caught up. Fortunately for Laxus and his team, they had decent amounts of money saved back so would not be in serious trouble financially while sorting out and completing all the paperwork while finding solutions to all the Guild's current backlog of trouble.

~~oo0oo~~


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I do not own Fairy Tail or make money from writing this. Holy Cats! I was floored by the instant, positive response to this story. Thanks everyone who faved, followed, and a mega-eye popping wow over all the reviews! O.o The warm welcome literally dropped my jaw. Guess I am not the only one tired of cliche Lucy and Laxus get together stories. For those PM's venting worries, _**NO**_ _**Lucy will not become an Over powered Dragon Queen/Slayer.**_ I am sticking with the cannon reasons for Laxus trying to take over the guild so consider the OOC a cover up Laxus is playing. Although Laxus' reasons are not so sterling as he is pretending, Laxus will care about the people involved soon enough. :) Hope this second chapter clears some things up for everyone. Episode 23 "15 minutes" is the cannon Laxus wants Lucy as his woman reference that keeps me thinking this pairing should be cannon allowed (if Laxus had any air time with Lucy I bet he could manage it) although not nearly given enough credit and often miscalled a crack pairing. ROFL. I can dream, even if I cannot make it happen anywhere but in my imagination.

CHAPTER 2

An insistent knock drew Laxus from his dull duty of filling out paperwork. Looking up from the form he was working on, Laxus barked, "Enter!"

Lahar sauntered into the room only to halt inside the door. "Well you're certainly busy. It seems you've spread everything all over the office. At least you've cleared out the window so you can see well enough to do all this long ignored paperwork."

Forcing his expression to remain neutral, Laxus grabbed the bar stool Freed was using earlier, and flipped it over his head for the Rune Knight leader to take from his hand to seat himself. "If I'm going to figure out who needs the most rehabilitation, I have to sort out the damage reports by person and teams. So of course the paperwork is stacked by name all over the place. I can't tally the types of problems without sorting everything into piles. Or did you come here to tell me the Magic Council decided to renege on their agreement with me already? Maybe they sent you here to breathe down my neck in an attempt to intimidate me, or keep me from proving Fairy Tail can change?"

"I'm here to inquire about what kind of disciplinary actions you have in mind for your out of control guild mates. It is a formality to show the Council that you are committed to our agreement, since if you fail, I'll be taking them into custody to lock them up for the citizens protection. So may I inquire as to your current thoughts on the disciplinary subject?"

'_More like demand to know what I'm up to, you brown nosing son of a bitch! If you hadn't shown up with the fucking paperwork to shut Fairy Tail down when you did, I wouldn't be stuck playing this fucking good guy game. I could have cleaned out the worthless and lazy trash like that loser Nab already. I'd have gotten rid of those two Phantom trash mages who waltzed in here and got accepted by Gramps way too easily. Fucking Magic Council had to get in my way before I could really take over the Guild. God damned Gramps and his stupid sentimental bullshit came to a head faster than I thought it would! But, I'm not going to lose my prize after putting so much effort into taking this guild over. Turning things around will pay off if I can just keep up the front a little longer. At least I can take my anger on the losers and trash that are ruining this guild the way I want to with your backing if I plan everything right. I'll even be able to exonerate and reinstate my father in time if I can keep on the Council's good side. Between us, we can make this a guild worthy of being respected and feared for the right reasons.' _Laxus privately thought.

"In cases like Erza's, where the complaints often point to her having a lack of patience, I'm going to force her to learn patience as part of her punishment. Learning to curb her impatience should put an end to her knocking people out before they can hope to respond to her questions. I'm also going to include training that will remind her to minimize the damage she does to property. Freed and my team are all working with me to figure out how to set up the training schedules I want implemented for all Fairy Tail Mages to improve their magical control. Better control should help prevent the out of control destruction problems some have. Making them learn how to control their emotions and magic better should do wonders for Fairy Tail's reputation, and decrease the damages done to private property."

Lahar nodded his head once. "Not a bad strategy, but I'm not certain that the Council will see it as being good enough penance for the amount of complaints they have had to handle, and damages they've had to cover because of Fairy Tail in the last three years. I'm curious as to how you're going to handle your other most troublesome mages specifically."

Heaving a sigh, Laxus stared at Lahar as he decided to throw out a plan based on the largest complaint stacks subject matter. "I've only started formulating punishments to appease the Council, Lahar. It will take time to uncover how many bad habits my guild mates have that must be broken to meet the Council's terms for fairy Tail's ongoing operation. Rehabilitation will be ongoing as I uncover different members specific problems. I've already decided that Team Natsu is getting dissolved. Until Natsu and Gray can behave in public, and get along with each other, they will be forbidden to take any missions unsupervised because the largest complaint piles directly concerns them. Erza loses her composure around them, so it makes sense to keep her separated from them also unless there is an extreme emergency handed down from the Council that calls for them to work together. Keeping them apart is the first step, if I understand the Magic Council's current feelings about those three specific mages. I'm aware that getting them under control is going to take every drop of skill and backing I can muster in the meantime. Their rebellious natures are going to require a lot of tough measures to get them to fall into line, but I have everything I need in place to make them think twice before they go off half cocked. I'll get them to obey me and take their punishments, plus ongoing training seriously. If I can't get their cooperation, I'll hand them over to you as I've already promised. The problem members will remain on a short leash until such time as they prove they can be trusted to act responsibly on their own."

"It does appear you are sincere in your desire to save your guild, which is quite commendable I think. Let's hope I won't have to take back those writs. . . . Will you really be able to repay the set amount of guild fines within the ninety days you've been given, Laxus Dreyer?"

"I'll get the money so that the Council gets it's first twelve million dollars before the ninety days are up. I've got every confidence that I'll raise the money on time. The Council won't have any reason to disband this guild if I can help it." Laxus answered as he fiddled with his pen, wishing the Rune Knight commander would hurry up and leave.

Lahar seemed to be thinking over his answer which only annoyed Laxus more. Making matters worse, a knock on the door jarred it open, meaning Lahar had not shut the damned thing properly. As the door swung open, it revealed Lucy Heartfilia, and her team mates. All of them looked stunned. Laxus kept calm as he began to formulate how best to use the situation to his advantage. Lahar rose from the bar stool he was perched upon, and headed for the now open door with a purposeful stride.

"I hope you can turn things around, Laxus Dreyer. We came to disband Fairy Tail, and arrest certain mages for showing so much contempt for the Magic Council's laws by their unacceptable behavior. The only thing that can save Makarov from being stripped of his title, and doing prison time, is seeing proof that your efforts can clean up Fairy Tail's attitude problem. Much as I dislike imprisoning an old man with failing health, or others who have done services to the Magic Council in the past, I'll have no choice if the Council rescinds their current deferral. You have three months to prove Fairy Tail is no longer a threat to Fiore's citizens, and can uphold the Magic Council's rules. I'll be watching over your progress with high expectations for your endeavors, Laxus."

Natsu's fists ignited as a chest deep growl rumble into existence. Before Lahar could reach the hot head, Laxus stood, bellowing at the younger Slayer, lightning crackling around his body. "Knock it off, Natsu! Get out of Lahar's way, or I'll fry your sorry ass!"

Erza beat Laxus in subduing Natsu by slamming a metal encased fist onto the younger man's head, grabbing him by the back of his vest to move the wobbling male aside for Lahar to leave. With a nod of his head, Lahar spoke. "Thank you, Miss Scarlet. Good to know some mages in this guild actually understand the value of rules and regulations, even if they find them difficult to uphold at times."

Gray scowled, hands moving to act out also, despite the obvious repercussions. Yet Heartfilia grabbed his wrist and moved between the angry Ice Mage, and the Council lackey before Gray could follow Natsu's bad example much to Laxus surprise. Covered in bandages as she was, the sexy as sin rich girl was standing between a couple of powerful mages to prevent an altercation, without saying a word. As soon as Lahar's boots could be heard on the stairs, Laxus released his magic.

"Get in here and make sure you close the door. I know you heard part of that conversation so don't bother playing the offended card on me. I'm too busy trying to clean up the mess everyone helped create to tolerate any self righteous bullshit right now." Laxus growled as he sat back down in the comfortable chair his grandfather had sat in for several years.

Obeying with obvious reluctance, Team Natsu filed into the room, evading countless paper stacks, strewn around the room, and covering all the chairs in the room. Heartfilia closed the door and made sure it was secured. The rest of her team were visibly bristling as Natsu shook off the earlier smack down Erza delivered. The injured woman stepped up between Natsu and Gray to create a subtle block between the two hot headed morons.

Erza dropped a heavy hand on Natsu's shoulder and Lucy did the same to Gray as Erza began speaking. "I was surprised when the Rune Knights were arguing with you and the Thunder Tribe at the end of the Fantasia Parade. I didn't hear much of the argument, but the documents on the Mission board are legitimate. We seem to owe you our thanks for keeping Fairy Tail open for the next ninety days, but I'm not certain I understand the Rune Knights ongoing presence and threats, Laxus."

Taking a long look at Erza, Laxus considered how he should react to her questions. The need to keep her under control was also at stake. The Magic Council had bought his story without any glitches, and Laxus knew he had to keep his cover from getting blown. It galled Laxus to have to explain himself to anyone, but Erza was the one best suited to keeping Gray and Natsu under control if she thought the stakes were high enough to require her to intervene. If Laxus could convince Erza to cooperate, Natsu and Gray would have no choice but fall into step with his plans. As some of the strongest mages in the guild, Laxus would prefer to keep the three around, so long as they would obey him. So long as he kept his story in tact, Laxus knew he could fool Erza and the others, plus exact his revenge.

"I already knew the Council was talking about disbanding Fairy Tail soon which is a major reason why I staged the Battle of Fairy Tail's strongest contest. Finding out which Mages are the most destructive before the Council arrived with the disband notice was part of my plans to counteract their moves but I almost acted too late. Forcefully taking over before Gramps got Fairy Tail disbanded by being too soft on everyone with a destructive streak, and to prevent him from going to prison while getting stripped of his status was the only thing I could think of to prevent the Magic Council from following through with their latest threats I overheard. The only thing I failed to account for was how far Gramps had already pushed the Council members' patience."

"I see. Why didn't you say something to the rest of us, Laxus?" Erza demanded.

Laxus glared as he interwove his current cover story within his revised plans to save his newest possession from confiscation. The lies, and half truths tripped off his tongue with practiced ease. "Your team is considered to be the most destructive in this guild. Team Natsu's ongoing mass destruction is one of the biggest reasons the Council wants to disband this Guild at the first opportunity, Erza. Natsu and Gray refuse to show they have any self control, and you get too impatient for anyone's good when trying to cope with their constant bickering. The three of you cause far too much damage every time your team goes on a mission. The twelve million in fines is only part of the actual damages back owed to the Magic Council. It barely covers the damages you three have caused over the last few months. I got the Council to agree that they will accept that portion of the back owed fines in a lump sum so long as I can come up with a valid punishment system and reform this guild's track record on missions. So to calm the Council down, I am ordering Team Natsu disbanded, and you three are forbidden to work together unless the Magic Council expressly gives permission for you three to work together. The three of you have got so many complaints lodged against you that I've decided you will be learning to control yourselves in public starting tomorrow."

"Uhm, how are we supposed to come up with twelve million jewels to pay off the Magic Council, Laxus? And how long do we have to raise the money?" Lucy asked as she leaned around one of the taller stacks of complaints in an attempt to see his face.

"Good question, Blondie. I assume that you have the education and experience in fund raising for charities, and book keeping, the same as all the other rich girls in this country get." Laxus responded as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Amusement grew at Lucy's obvious discomfort as Laxus watched the busty woman flinch. Heartfilia truly hated being called rich girl, and yet she was one. The woman's desire to pretend otherwise was quite amusing. Yet Laxus knew it was only a matter of time before the blond woman showed her true upbringing and sought out a wealthy man to take care of her once she got bored with living like regular people.

Natsu snarled, "Leave Luce alone, Laxus. Fight me instead. If you want to take out your anger on someone, I'm right here."

Eyes narrowed, Laxus lifted an arm and pointed a hand palm up at the younger, bandage covered Dragon Slayer. A bolt of lightning shot from his palm to knock Natsu into the door. "You are out of line, Natsu. One more fuck up and you're getting handed over to the Rune Knights. I agreed to their terms. If you can't be controlled, as I told them I could in order to get the damned deferral needed to save the guild, you have to be dealt with as they decided you would be. However, since you're so determined to recklessly cause trouble, I'll be lucky to keep Fairy Tail open for the currently allotted ninety days trial period! Do not push my patience any further! Gramps made too many excuses for you, but I sure as hell won't. Either learn how to control yourself under my watch, or go to prison as a dark mage. Your choice."

"How dare you speak to your comrades this way, Laxus! Fairy Tail protects our own! You have no right to sit in the Master's Chair if you intend to sell out any of us, or falsely accuse us of being dark mages!" Erza yelled.

'_Thank you, Lahar, for playing into my hand when we were negotiating my take over of the guild to keep from being disbanded. Annoying as it is to know we were getting eaves dropped on, that also can play into my favor if I use your presence correctly. Time to add it to the mix to make these morons accept my plans.'_

"Oh really?" Laxus opened the central drawer and pulled out a file which he threw onto he desk for Erza to see. "Pick it up and read the contents, Erza. Then tell me again who deserves to sit in this chair."

'_Convincing Lahar to give me so many arrest writs to hold over my most destructive guild members heads is about to pay off handsomely. I've got all of these fools by the throat because I'm smarter. They'll learn to obey me, or I'll get rid of the trash with the Council's generous help. Either way, I win. Getting Lahar to do as requested was too easy when I told him I knew we had troublemakers who would only comply if I had the right kind of collateral to force them to behave. Good thing certain Council Members like me enough to back date these last minute delivered warrants. The last thing they want to see is a bunch of very destructive mages running around Fiore destroying everything in their path out of spite over Fairy Tail getting shut down. The thought of even the most remote possibly happening got the Council to issue me exactly what I need to turn these idiots into personal assets.' _

Still glaring for all she was worth, Erza picked up the file and flipped it open. Scanning the top sheet for several seconds, Erza's eyes got wider as her complexion leached to bone white. Flipping through other sheets, Erza continued to read, her posture changing, defeat overcoming her normally proud bearing.

"Oy, Erza, what's wrong?" Gray finally spoke, voice breaking into the heavy silence.

"These are arrest decrees. You, me, Natsu, and Master are all listed here. So are a few other members like Elfman, Gajeel, and Juvia. I don't understand, Laxus. What's going on here? Why is there a signed agreement that you will take responsibility for us sitting with all these arrest papers?"

Controlling the urge to laugh at how easy it was to manipulate members of the guild to do his bidding, Laxus answered while sporting his cockiest smirk. "I made a deal with the damned Magic Council to keep all of you out of prison. Yet the thanks I get is your self righteous drivel when my ass if the one that is in the Council's sights at the moment. You're all so destructive that the Magic Council wants to arrest you for endangering the citizens of Fiore and give all of you the Dark Mage punishments that they believe you deserve. However, I was nice enough to promise the council I would find ways to teach you the kind of self control you all need to learn to keep you out of the Council's Cell blocks. The conditions are very clear as I am sure you already recognize, Scarlet. If you, or anyone on the names listed in those warrants screw up, or refuse to take your punishments, and honestly learn to change, I have no choice but hand you over to Lahar for prosecution. If I fail to do that, not only does Fairy Tail go down, I lose everything asset wise that I have personally, and every mage affiliated with this guild goes on the banned mage list as dark mages. Lahar's staying here in Magnolia to play watchdog over this guild. In case you're too stupid to get what's happening, Natsu, the Council is adamant that they will lock you away if you have even one more outburst because of your hot headed stupidity. Erza may have stopped you from going after Lahar earlier, but I doubt your little stunt is going to be left unreported to the Council. Only one slip up is grounds for instant disbanding of this guild without fail, and arrests for the more destructive Mages we have on the roster, meaning you Natsu, and Gray. All this paper work has to be finished and sent back to the Council, plus twelve million in back owed fines paid within ninety days as I'm sure you've already heard."

Heartfilia's voice interrupted the glare off Laxus was having with Erza and Natsu. "So that's why you told Freed to come speak to me about reporting here in the morning. It also explains your wanting to know if I have experience with fund raising and book keeping."

"True. Plus I need full time help to get all this paperwork done, filed, and returned to the Council before the deadline. Freed, Bickslow, and Evergreen have to keep track of our most troublesome members as Lahar and the Council has demanded for us to get this final chance to prove we can change our ways. Until the Magic Council is off my back, and things are cleaned up enough to please them, I need a full time secretary who knows how to handle pompous jackasses such as the Magic Council members. You're the best candidate since I am aware of the kind of education rich girls get. Plus, you won't have to struggle to pay your rent each month if you take me up on my offer. I'll make sure you get a decent salary while you help me get all of this fixed." Laxus answered as he watched the girl's expressive face go through a number of emotions in rapid succession.

"I understand that you need help with all this paperwork, but why would you pay me to work in here? My team is in so much trouble with the Magic Council that you could easily make it my punishment so you don't have to pay me." Lucy wrung her hands as she spoke.

"You aren't the same kind of destructive trouble maker as Erza, Natsu, and Gray. One of the things I had Freed set up was a status report of battle sights. You did minimum damage in your battles so I don't see any reason to put you on the same punishment roster. You also don't have stacks this tall for complaints lodged against you, Blondie." Laxus stood and pointed to three very tall stacks of papers as he explained. "Not one of these stacks of complaints list your name, or your description, Blondie. All these stacks do list Natsu, Erza, and Gray's descriptions and names. Besides, I'm certain Lahar will count your job as punishment for being involved in Team Natsu's destruction, even if you get paid to do it. You may be friends with these three, but you don't deserve to be punished as harshly as the Council wants to see all of them punished. Working as my secretary insures you can pay your bills, and effectively gets you off the future banned mages listing, unlike several others in this guild if they fail to accept their punishments. Getting this done on time will also go a long way to keeping Fairy Tail open for good." Laxus informed the girl he was subtly ogling through narrowed eyes.

'_Got'cha, Blondie. Make it sound as if it's all for the sake of the guild, and you'll cave every single time to save your friends. You're already mine and just don't know it yet. Take the bait already so I can start reeling you in.' _

Determination bloomed on Lucy's features as she gave a firm nod of agreement. "I'll do my best to help you, Laxus. Even if I don't agree with how you acted, I can understand your reasons now. We'll save Fairy Tail by working together. That includes everyone on my team. I know that we'll all give our best for our comrades because they are our family."

Laxus felt his lips shift from his normal disdainful smirk to something different, softer and more genuine. Real pleasure thrummed through Laxus as he watched his prey take the bait with all of her heart.

'_Soon I'll be enjoying everything you have to offer, Blondie. When I'm done with your delightful body, you'll be crying for me to take you back. Can't wait to see how long you can amuse me before you get boring.'_

~~oo0oo~~


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I do not own Fairy Tail or make money off this story. Figured I would have a flashback in this chapter. Bold text is a paraphrased snippet from Episode 23, "15 minutes" which happened during the Phantom Lord battle. I'm still amazed by how many follows and faves this little story has received for being so new. To the guest reviews: You better believe Laxus is playing as dirty as he possibly can because he has not had any reflection time to change his arrogant attitudes. Laxus ambition before he was excommunicated knew no bounds. I'm rolling with that angle due to him not getting beaten/excommunicated in this time line.

CHAPTER 3

The required monthly Guild Master meeting had proven stressful in more ways than one for Laxus. Lahar had insisted on going with Laxus to the meeting, and had told the other guild Masters that Laxus was the acting Guild Master. Much to Laxus annoyance, the acting comment eroded Laxus position, and was a subtle jab which carried too much political weight with the other guild leaders. Now that he was back in Magnolia, Laxus was going to have to face the ongoing backlog of paperwork his grandfather left undone. The thought of the massive stacks of papers still waiting for him made Laxus fingers cramp, and he had yet to pick up a pen. Taking on the mantle of a Guild Master was proving downright nightmarish for Laxus as the real job's requirements sank into his skull. Yet Laxus was not willing to give up so easily. Taking the guild over so he could make things fit his ideal was too close to reality for Laxus to let a little annoyance get in his way.

Laxus opened the door to the Guild's main office with a resigned sigh escaping his lips. The sound of rapid clicking and clacking, coupled with quiet dings drew his eyes to the second desk in the room. Lucy was using a lacrima powered type writer to fill in all the blanks on the triplicate forms Laxus was required to fill out and file with the Magic Council. Seeing Lucy in action with the confusing machine was a pleasant surprise that Laxus knew he could get used to, given enough time.

"Where did you get that, Blondie?" Laxus asked as he slowly inhaled Lucy's exotic orchid tinged, sweetly seductive musk.

"It was in one of the store rooms. Mirajane remembered that we had one, so I helped her dig it out. I picked up several ink boxes for it after I cleaned it up, and recharged it for use. Since you're handwriting is really bad, and the guild master guide even suggests using a typewriter, I figured I'd fill in everything I can of the paperwork while you were at the monthly meeting. I thought it would save time in getting everything processed when you got back. Um, so I hope that's okay. Leaving the paperwork backlog alone seemed wrong to me, and I've already got the filing cabinets reorganized. I used what you said during the meeting with my old team as a guide to filling out their complaint forms whenever the listed complaint fit what you said was going to happen as punishments." Lucy answered as she wrung her hands, staring at the machine before her.

"Looks like choosing you to get this mess sorted out was an even better idea than I originally thought. Taking the initiative is always a good idea, so long as you've stuck to the plan I've already outlined." Laxus answered, picking up a handful of the typed out pages sitting on the smaller desk to see what kinds of things the blond had typed into the consequences portion of the forms.

"I'll do whatever I can to save Fairy Tail, Laxus. It's the only real home I've ever known. I've been thinking about how to raise the money we need to start paying off the overdue fines also." Lucy responded as she grabbed one of the other stacks of papers and began rolling a new page into the machine.

Leaning in close enough for his breathy words to caress her ear, Laxus asked his next question, not really caring about how Lucy might answer. "And what kinds of ideas have you come up with to insure we pay those fines on time, Blondie?"

A slight, visible shiver was proof that the sexy woman had felt his intentional caress. For several seconds the room remained so silent that Laxus wondered if the sexy little wench was even able to respond. He was enjoying the fact that Lucy Heartfilia was anything but immune to his flirtation. However, in the space of a heartbeat, the woman's posture shifted as she twisted to glare up at him in her chair.

"You're just as blond as I am, so stop using that stupid nickname already. It's ridiculous coming from you! I have a name and I'd appreciate it if you'd learn it already!" Her small guild marked hand gave him a shove that forced Laxus to stumble back a step.

"What the hell, Blondie? Do you have any idea of who you're playing with?" Laxus snarled as he felt his temper ignite.

Leaping out of her own chair and rounding on him, Lucy showed every indication she was willing to go toe to toe with him. "Where do you get off making fun of me all the time, Jerk? I'm trying to help you save Fairy Tail! I'm not here to waste precious time flirting with a man who thinks I'm nothing but an arm ornament! I left home because I hate that kind of treatment! I didn't accept it from my father, so I certainly won't accept it from you!"

Taking in the fire snapping in Lucy's brown eyes her anger quickening her breath enough to make her large breasts heave and strain within her form fitting top, Laxus found himself getting intrigued. Since the first time he had seen Lucy enter the guild hall, Laxus couldn't decide whether he wanted to run as fast as he could to avoid the exquisite young woman, or do everything in his power to get his hands on her in an attempt to get rid of the powerful attraction felt.

Even seeing Lucy's blatant defiance left Laxus torn between whether he wanted to punish her for daring to defy him, or reward her for daring what even Mirajane in her Demon Soul form hesitated to attempt. Everyone tiptoed around Laxus, except for this new girl, and Laxus was finding her quicksilver temperament baffling. What was it about this petite woman that made her stand out more than any other female Laxus had met? Memories flashed through Laxus mind as he stared at the woman who was quickly taking up far too of his waking thoughts and riveting his attention in ways no woman had ever dared to before her.

**Mira's expression turned stern as she spoke through the communication lacrima Freed was holding. "Lucy is one of us and they're targeting her."**

"**Huh? Who's that?" **

**Freed's runes appeared to answer Laxus' question. 'The new girl that just joined the guild. Natsu was all over her last time we were there.' **

**An image of the busty blond girl wearing a cute off center partial ponytail of the kind Laxus would expect to see on the head of a much younger girl rose unbidden. The lingering memory of exotic orchids and seductive musk traipsed through Laxus mind. In a flash of inspiration, Laxus thought of a way to get his hands on the sexy new girl because his weak guild mates would never be able to win without his help. Saving the little damsel when she was in distress could be fun, especially when it meant Natsu would be forced to relinquish the luscious little female to someone who knew exactly how to savor such a delightful dish. **

**Having such a sexy woman on his arm, and in his bed was the kind of temptation Laxus found impossible to resist. If she accepted, Laxus would enjoy destroying Phantom Lord. He would insist it was a favor she had to repay in whatever way he demanded, and Laxus had many desires that he really wanted to take out on her fantastic body. Laxus could already see the blond bombshell writhing beneath him which would make his efforts very worthwhile. Images of her ample breasts swaying in his face, or overflowing his hands triggered Laxus' devious side. It was not every day that Laxus saw a fresh faced beauty like the golden haired goddess who had joined the guild.**

"**Oh, you must be talking about the new girl with the huge boobs. Tell her I'll gladly come save her if she becomes my woman." His lips pulled back into a grin as Laxus imagination began ticking off all the ways he was going to enjoy his new toy once he got his hands on her. Saving the gorgeous girl from harm, and leaving the weaklings to save themselves was the best of both worlds to Laxus way of thinking.**

**Part of Cana's livid face managed to show up in the crystal as Laxus waited on the pair of whining nags to respond. "I can't believe your perverted attitude!"**

**Cutting her off again, Laxus enjoyed the chance to silence the resident, loud mouthed drunk. "Hey now. That's no way to talk to someone you're demanding help from you know. It's not my fault that you're too weak to handle it yourselves! Or maybe you'd like to strip for me to see if you've got what it takes to get me interested in doing you a favor. I'm kind of weak to sexy shows." **

**The look on Cana and Mirajane's faces was priceless. In fact, Laxus knew they would rather die than continue bugging him to salvage Gramps mistake. The only downside was realizing that the pair would hide his generous offer from the smoking hot babe he wanted in his bed. "While your at it, tell Gramps to hurry up and retire already. I'll gladly take over his place as Master." **

**The lacrima went dark. After several seconds, Freed returned it to his blazer pocket as Bickslow cackled. "Gotta admit the new girl's got some of the biggest knockers I've ever seen. It's no wonder you want to bang her bad enough that you'd even rescue the guild to get a piece of her action, Laxus." **

It had to be the woman's incredible rack causing Laxus to go a bit soft. Laxus knew big tits were his number one weakness. Bickslow had made a valid point that day. Getting Lucy Heartfilia in bed so Laxus could get rid of the constant wet dreams that starred the little bimbo was fast overtaking his ambitions to recreate Fairy Tail in a more formidable image.

"Well are you going to say something, or waste even more of my time staring at my chest, Jerk?" Lucy's angry voice drilled through Laxus bemused thoughts.

"Be thankful for that smoking hot body, because it's keeping me from throttling you for opening that sassy mouth of yours." Laxus shot back as he glanced into reddish brown, furious eyes.

The inarticulate strangled noise that escaped the petite woman's throat amused Laxus even more. Seeing the dark flush staining her face as Lucy shook like a leaf in a storm was giving Laxus a good idea of how passionate she would be once he got her in bed. From where he was standing, the lovely Miss Heartfilia was going to be the kind of woman to blow a lover's mind whenever she became aware of how to use her sex appeal.

Tiny hands balled in clumsy fists at her sides, Lucy continued to make a noise that was part growl, and part whine. The odd, frustrated noise shot a wave of hard lust through Laxus system. Containing his immediate reaction with difficulty, Laxus snickered at the sensual vision of impotent rage standing before him. With her little jaw jutting slightly forward, Lucy's lips looked even more seductive, poutier, kiss begging perfect.

"You know, if you keep looking at me like that, I'm going to take you up on your oh so delicious looking offer, sweetheart." Laxus told Lucy to see how much more of a rise he could get out of her. The woman's audacity was quite amusing, and Laxus was hoping she would take the bait.

Eyes widening dramatically, Lucy's jaw dropped as she stepped backward, smacking the back of her knees into her chair's armrest. Moving faster than Lucy could tumble backward and hurt herself, Laxus caught her wind-milling arms and jerked her into his own body. With her balance shot, Lucy fell into Laxus much largest chest, face first. Fast as Laxus reflexes were, it was easy to get an arm around her waist to insure a good hold.

The little high society minx was proving quite entertaining, and Laxus was of two minds about how to deal with Lucy Heartfilia's innocence play variety of the game. Call Lucy Heartfilia's bluff outright, or play along until he could strip her pretty little mask off were Laxus two favorite options. Too many elite society women had proven to Laxus that innocence and vast riches did not mix.

"So it's like that is it? Not very good at being grateful when you get saved it seems." Laxus taunted Lucy as she began to struggle against his hold.

Rearing back as far as she could within his hold, Lucy gave him a venomous glare. "Let me go, Jerk. If I believed for a second that you only wanted to keep me from falling, I would gladly thank you. But you aren't the kind of man who would save a girl from falling simply because she needs help. You're an opportunistic pervert. The only reason I agreed to be your secretary is so I can help to save Fairy Tail. I'm not here to amuse you!"

A chuckle escaped Laxus throat over Lucy's ineffective, maidenly posturing, and coy pretenses. Men like himself took what they wanted because they had the strength to hold onto their possessions. Strength gave Laxus the right to claim the sexy little socialite, and all her family's wealth whenever Laxus chose to make it official. Weaker women always needed a man's protection, and that was the harsh reality of living. Far as Laxus was concerned, Salamander had already lost Lucy to him. Lucy was already his to do with as he saw fit, and the perks the young woman brought to the guild made her a worthwhile investment.

Had Salamander and Gajeel not let Levi convince them to back down because of Gramps collapsing, things might have turned out differently. However, Laxus was no fool, and had left the Thunder Palace in place with a hair trigger release that insured his immunity. Knowing there was no other option for protecting the city, Fairy Tail was forced to obey Laxus will, exactly as he planned would happen. Although the Rune Knights were an unplanned glitch in Laxus overall strategy, his tactical abilities made it easy enough to neutralize their arrival. Having the ability to think on his feet allowed Laxus to overcome all adversaries, including Lahar's ilk. Laxus' tactics were all but unstoppable when he went into battle. Clear strategies allowed Laxus to keep his tactical advantages even when he had to shift his strategic plans. This war was already coming to a close, and Fairy Tail would remain in Laxus possession, even if he temporarily had to play along with the Council to keep what he fought to win, including his chosen mages who would be the foundation of his vision. The rest of the trash would be weeded out, and gotten rid of as the newest game progressed.

Now that the Magic Council was allowing him to control Fairy Tail, Laxus had big plans for his newest acquisition, and this little princess was going to get used to her role. "You're quite the plucky one, aren't you? Feisty women are an irresistible magnet for men like me because we have a real weakness for women like you. But, it seems you've already noticed that, haven't you, Blondie?"

A fascinating array of emotions chased across the beautiful little heiresses face as she turned her head to the side and went limp in Laxus hold. All the fight drained away without warning. The sudden listlessness in her posture irritated Laxus. It seemed Lucy was giving up far too soon for Laxus to enjoy the game they were playing. Eyes narrowing, Laxus waited to see what the little minx would do next.

However, Laxus was anything but prepared for Lucy's soft spoken plea. "May I get back to work, . . . please? These forms won't fill themselves out, and you need to sign the ones I've already gotten completed, if they are satisfactory, Master Laxus."

Her tone was formal, and stiff, but without any hint of the previous heated emotions that Blondie had exhibited moments before . It was like listening to a robotic doll speaking pre programmed lines which unnerved Laxus more than he cared to acknowledge. Realizing the fun was over for the moment, Laxus released Lucy's waist and let her slip back into her chair to continue working on the pile of forms beside her.

"How are you with dictation, Blondie?" Laxus asked as he scooped up the filled out sheets.

"I'm adequate for the job. My father specializes in contracts after all. Learning to use recording lacrima is part of the education I received before I left home." The lifeless tone of her voice grated on Laxus nerves.

'_I'm not about to lose this game, Blondie. I will make you react again. You're going to amuse me in the end, the same as other women like you. Two can play this game, but I'll be damned if you get the upper hand.' _

"Good. I'll continue making the adjustments for everyone's training schedules. You can add them to the consequences to be reported to the Council."

With a nod, the woman went back to filling out reports. Laxus found himself sitting in his own chair, reading over the completed forms. Signing off on everything as he recognized that Lucy was doing a great job, Laxus could not help but smile. The rapid click clacking, and dings of the type writer at work was both soothing in it's routineness, and annoying in pitch. However, having to get through the mountain of overdue responses meant that Laxus needed to tune out the background noise. Grabbing his headphones and covering his ears, Laxus settled into working through the various stacks as swiftly as possible. When needed, Laxus answered any questions the blond woman had for him. Overall, a surprising amount of work was getting done in far less time than Laxus had thought possible.

~~oo0oo~~


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I don't own Fairy Tail's cannon characters because they are Hiro Mashima's darlings. I own obnoxious twerps my plot bunnies devise for tormenting cannons. No money is made from this story. Thanks to everyone who gave me wonderful reviews, or started following/faving this story. Makes me so very happy to know this story has been so well received. I try to update as fast as I can, and right now I have a few days free to concentrate on my writing. However, be aware that I tend to update between 6 and 10 days. My short retreat from real world obligations won't last long, but I will get what I can get done during the 7 days I have at my disposal to focus hard core on writing. Enjoy this new installment.

CHAPTER 4

Trying to ignore the brittle, crackling sensation of nerves going haywire was difficult, but Lucy was not going to let the perverted jerk see her as any weaker than he already believed her to be. Their earlier, downright insulting encounter, had left a bad taste lingering in Lucy's mind, but she had no idea about how to handle the guild's temporary Master. The last thing Lucy could afford was giving Laxus any more ammunition to harass her.

Her electrical burns were hurting far worse than they should, but Lucy was not going to mention them with so much work to get completed. The pain had increased dramatically because of Laxus grabbing her forearms to prevent her from falling earlier. His quick grab had put pressure on the bandages, and probably had abraded Lucy's damaged skin. Lucy fought to keep her focus upon filling out the many forms stacked around the office. Despite the throbbing pins and needles plaguing the edges of Lucy's awareness, she gritted her teeth and continued to type in all the information she needed to without pausing.

How much time had passed since they settled into working in relative silence was unknown, but Lucy was getting nauseous now that she had managed to put together a decent stack of forms to hand over to Laxus so he could sign everything. Pulling the latest filled in sheet out of the type writer carriage, Lucy took a deep breath and rose from her chair. To distract Laxus from any more sexual harassment, Lucy handed the new stack of completed forms to him. The need to get some pain relievers was too severe for Lucy to ignore it any longer. She had to go to the infirmary or risk vomiting despite having nothing on her stomach.

"I need to run downstairs for a few minutes. I'll be back soon." Lucy spoke in a purposeful monotone.

Laxus stared at her through narrowed eyes for several moments as if trying to judge her intentions. "Fine. While your downstairs, get me a beer."

Somehow Lucy kept herself from stiffening over the command. She gave a curt nod instead, and quickly exited the room. Taking the stairs two at a time, Lucy made it to the floor level, and headed toward the bar. Seeing Mirajane, Lucy was about to relay Laxus beer request, but was cut off before she could speak.

"Lucy, are you okay? You're looking really pale and sweaty. Did Laxus do something to you?" Mirajane demanded answers as she came around the counter to stand in front of Lucy.

"Uhm, everything's fine, but we're really busy trying to get all the forms filled out before the deadline. My burns are hurting so I need to go to the infirmary for medicine is all. Anyway, Laxus wants a beer brought up, so could you get that ready for me to take back to the office once I get back?"

Cana's voice sounded furious. "Are you sure Laxus hasn't done anything we need to know about, Lucy?"

Before Lucy could turn to look at Cana, she saw a flash of genuine worry cross Mirajane's features. By the time Lucy had Cana in her sights, she knew the two women were having a silent conversation of sorts. What the two were thinking was unknown, but no less real despite Lucy's own lack of inside information.

"What's wrong, Mira, Cana? You both seem worried. Is everything okay?" Lucy tried to ask.

"Lucy needs to know, Mira. After all, this is Laxus we're talking about."

A soft growl erupted from Mirajane's throat. Several mugs sitting upon the counter exploded as her visage fluctuated, her magic on the verge of exploding out of control. "If he dares, I'll rip him apart."

"Eh? What?" Lucy stepped back as fear skated along her spine. The vicious feeling magic suddenly swirling around Mirajane was enough to make Lucy gag.

"Oy, calm down, Sis. Everyone's upset that Laxus took over the guild the way he did, but at least we should give him credit for convincing the Council to not disband us." Elfman said as he walked up, and placed a hand on Mirajane's shoulder.

Following close behind Elfman was Natsu, Gray, and Gajeel. The four men looked dusty and sweaty to Lucy's eyes. The scent of heavy labor induced sweat infiltrated her nostrils. Wrinkling her nose, Lucy found it difficult to not cover her face.

Cana's voice was hard as she responded. "None of you has realized the kind of person Laxus became thanks Ivan. I remember how Laxus changed right before Ivan was excommunicated from Fairy Tail. Most of you don't realize how far Laxus'll go to satisfy his ambitions. Mira and I know what kind of man he's become. You missed our chat with Laxus when we asked him to help us handle Phantom Lord because we couldn't find Mystogan."

Lucy felt her brows furrow as she listened to Cana's angry tirade. "What happened, Cana? Why are you both so angry with Laxus? I don't understand."

Cana sneered. "Tch, Laxus is interested in you, Lucy, and he has the kind of personality to aggressively go after, and get what he wants on his own terms. The man's a notorious womanizer so you need to steer clear of him. Playing secretary for him is a bad idea."

Feeling her eyes widen, Lucy struggled to swallow past the dry lump forming in her throat. The earlier incident where Laxus taunted and grabbed onto her overwhelmed Lucy's mind as the fresh memory backed Cana's words. Feeling her head shake back and forth in denial, Lucy could not find her voice.

"Cana's right, Lucy. Laxus said he would only help defeat Phantom Lord if you became his woman. The look he had in his eyes is what worries me most. I saw it clearly. I wasn't going to tell you anything, or give Laxus an opening to make things far worse than they already were. But, I can't forget that strange look in his eyes when he made his demand. Makes me sick to think we have someone like that in our guild. We're supposed to be friends and family to each other. Fairy Tail cares for our own."

"Mira's right about Laxus intense look when he said he would only rescue you if you agreed to his terms. I've only seen Laxus get truly interested in a couple of things over the years. The look in his eyes was similar to those times that I can recall. Once Laxus starts getting that look in his eyes, he doesn't stop until he gets what he's become obsessed with, and this time, he's interested in you, Lucy." Cana clarified.

'_No way! I'm too young for someone like Laxus. I'm still a teenager and he's an adult. They've got it all wrong. Sure, he's a perverted jerk, but that doesn't mean he's serious. He's the kind of guy that women cling to I'm pretty sure. I mean, he's really attractive, even if he does have a horrible personality.'_

Gajeel snickered. "Sounds like normal Dragon Slayer instincts kicking in to me. If she's his ideal woman, stop meddling while you're still in one piece. We Dragon Slayers get vicious when it comes to our chosen mates. Our gut tells us we've found the right partner, and once it clicks in our heads, we don't tolerate interference with convincing our mate to stick around for life."

"We can't let Laxus hurt Lucy, Gajeel. If he's thinking to force her into something she doesn't want, then it's our job to protect her." Gray snapped at the black haired Slayer.

Unable to do anything but stare at everyone discussing her, Lucy was floored when Natsu began talking. "Gajeel's got the best point, everyone. If Laxus gut is telling him Luce is his mate, all of you need to leave them alone, or you will regret it. Laxus won't be able to bring himself to hurt Luce so you don't need to do anything. Like Igneel always told me, when the right person comes along, I'll know it without any words needed. Even if it is a lacrima that gives Laxus his dragon power, that rule isn't going to change."

She was getting so dazed that Lucy could not think straight. Unsure how it happened, Lucy discovered herself looking up at her friends. Somehow she had ended up on the floor, legs sprawled at odd angles. When had she dropped, Lucy wondered? Mind whirling at a dizzying rate, Lucy felt agony flashing from her fore arms and lower back to inundate the rest of her body in burning torment. Porlyusica was bending down to look in her eyes, but Lucy did not recall heading to the infirmary as she was distracted by trying to make sense of everything her friends had been saying.

"Get a stretcher for me. Should have known this little idiot wouldn't take it easy the way I told her. Stupid girl, how did you manage to burst so many blisters along your forearms and wrists? Why did you ignore my orders not to do any lifting, or accidentally abrade your bandages? Do you want to end up with scars all over your arms? One of you girls need to bring me a lot of cool water to soak these bandages loose since they've dried to her skin like glue. Otherwise she'll scar badly when I take these bandages off to treat her injuries." Porlyusica snarled as she inspected Lucy's arms closely.

Moment's later Lucy felt herself getting gently lifted and stretched out. Her eyes would not focus as the pain in her arms came back ten times worse. Porlyusica's words horrified Lucy. Scars would ruin her looks. Yet another part of her mind could not help but respond that scars would certainly get id of unwanted attention from Laxus since he seemed to be like her own father, power hungry. Lucy's impression of Laxus Dreyer was that he wanted a well bred arm ornament, and scars would make her worthless to him.

Oh the heels of that thought, Porlyusica was shoving a foul smelling drink in Lucy's face. Practically gagging on the strong, bitter flavor, Lucy made herself choke the medicine down somehow. Tears were flowing steadily from her eyes as Lucy's head began to reel. Dizziness took hold soon after swallowing whatever Porlyusica had given her. A welcome wave of numbness began to seep into her body as Lucy felt her eyes close. Her last thought was that Laxus would be furious about his missing beer.

==O0O==

The door swung open and Freed barged into the room. With frown on his face, Laxus looked up and saw that Freed looked upset, but also had a beer stein in his hand. "Mira asked me to bring this to you."

"What's with the sour look, Freed?" Laxus demanded as he took the glass and took a long drink.

"Lucy san was being put on a stretcher when I walked into the guild, Laxus sama. She didn't look good."

"What the hell?" Laxus snarled, beer mug slamming onto the desk top as he exploded out of his chair so fast it shot backwards into the wall.

"I heard the old healer yelling at Lucy san about ignoring her orders not to do any lifting." Freed answered as he cringed back a step.

Almost before he realized what he was doing, Laxus was down the stairs and crossing the beer hall. With each step Laxus anger increased. By the time he got to the infirmary door, which Natsu and Gray were both standing before whining to be allowed inside, Laxus was sparking. Gajeel was standing between them and the door, acting like a barricade with part of his body shifted to iron to make it harder to move him out of the way of the pair. Seeing him, Gajeel gave a grunt that sounded suspiciously like a chuckle.

"Move it. I can keep the water cool so it won't hurt, Lucy. I'm not an idiot like Flame Brain, Scrap Metal!" Gray was snarling as Laxus stopped directly behind the pair of loud mouths.

Venting his displeasure, Laxus grabbed the near naked Ice mage by the hair and slammed him head first into Natsu's skull before picking both men up and flinging them behind himself. "Lock those idiots up in separate rooms, Freed."

"Right away, Laxus Sama." Freed answered as Gajeel gave Laxus a nod and stepped out of the doorway.

Eyes narrowing, Laxus hesitated to enter the infirmary. Gajeel met his gaze with a crooked smile of his own. "Not all of us are too stupid to realize you'd be down here the minute you found out she collapsed, Laxus. Porlyusica told them both to get lost, but they wouldn't listen at any rate. So, I kept them out."

Brow lifting as his eyes widened slightly, Laxus contemplated the other man for several seconds. It annoyed Laxus that he owed the ex Phantom scumbag anything. However, his gut was roiling enough already. "Good job. When Freed comes back, tell him I said to put the rune barrier back up to keep those two out of here."

"With pleasure. Be careful in there. She's got a lot of clucking hens surrounding her. A couple seem to be out for blood." Gajeel spoke in a soft voice.

Laxus walked into the infirmary while mulling over the camaraderie type tone gajeel used when he warned Laxus of what to expect. Giving a mental shrug, Laxus headed toward the curtain enclosed alcove where he could hear water being poured.

"I think that should do it. Hand me the scissors, Levi." Porlyusica's cranky voice greeted Laxus ears.

"Is Lu-chan going to be alright?"

"Lucy had better be fine, or so help me I'm going to rip Laxus apart for letting her do any kind of lifting when she isn't allowed." The all too familiar voice of the she demon drifted across the infirmary.

Stopping just outside the curtain, Laxus flexed his hands into fists as he went through a mental debate with himself over whether or not he should poke his head inside to see for himself how bad Blondie was looking. To see with his own eyes would insure Laxus wasn't being lied to by anyone he reasoned. The other side fo the argument was that it was better to simply ask for a verbal report and let his new secretary have privacy. His gut reaction was to remind himself that as the guild master, there was nothing the old healer could do if Laxus so chose to demand an update. Blondie was one of his charges, and his secretary so he had a right to know how bad her arms were injured. If Laxus wanted answers, Porlyusica was damned well obligated to give them to him since he was paying her salary.

"Oh will you two shut up, or get out of my hair. This girl's as stubborn as Makarov. Once she sets her mind to doing anything, she won't give up or be reasonable. Not even Laxus can stop her from doing what she's determined to do. I've seen it too many times before. Until she thinks this guild is safe, she's going to continue being a fool."

Curiosity winning over manners, Laxus tugged the curtain aside enough to stick his head through the fabric. The image that hit his retinas was anything but what Laxus expected. A large metal tub filled partially with water, with a heavily bandaged, but otherwise nude blond bombshell greeted Laxus eyes. Porlyusica was peeling back a section of bandages to reveal the severe burns caused by the Thunder Palace. The bandage section revealed that Lucy had numerous burn patches across her chest and stomach. Additional bandages covered Lucy's feet and lower legs.

'**Aware that he had yet to plumb the depths of his magic, Laxus felt secure in his trump card, the Thunder Palace, despite his Thunder Tribe getting defeated. **

"**Porlyusica says he's had a heart attack and stroke. She's already stabilized his heart. Stay out of the infirmary so she can work in peace. The little solid script mage knows to come get me if she needs anything to save Makarov."**

"**So, you've finally come back to your senses then?" Natsu asked as his fire coating sputtered on the verge of going out.**

"**The one who's lost his senses is Gramps! You don't know a damned thing about what's been happening, Flame Brain! As much as I like your enthusiasm, the reality is that the Magic Council gave Gramps an ultimatum that he ignored! If I stop now, everything's lost. So get used to the changes that are going to happen, Natsu. If I don't take control right now, Fairy Tail is done for because my grandfather won't obey the Council!"**

**With a snarl, Natsu moved to start fighting again. Gajeel grabbed his shoulder and managed to keep Natsu from resuming their fight. "Hold it, Salamander. Calm down. We don't know what's really going on it seems."**

"**Well hearing the Phantom trash talking sense is unexpected. Then again, Natsu isn't exactly big on listening or thinking things through." Laxus scoffed as he turned toward the stairs that would take him to the Guild office again.**

"**You're lying, Laxus! Gramps is on great terms with the Council. He's told us as much."**

**A chiming sound caught Laxus attention. Whirling to look back at the run barrier still in place at the front doors of the guild words began to form. ****(Heartfilia destroys second lightning lacrima.)**** Before the letters fully faded, Laxus was on the move, knocking Natsu and Gajeel aside in his haste to prevent the woman from dying.**

"**Hah! Luce is taking down the Thunder Palace so you can't hold Magnolia hostage any longer, Laxus. You lose!" Natsu crowed in triumph, fist pumping in the air as Laxus hurried out of the guild.**

**Snarling softly, Laxus did a quick check on where the lacrima were missing. A bright flash of light caught his attention. "Stupid fucking little high society bimbo is going to learn not to mess with me. How dare she act as reckless as that Flame Brained idiot she teams up with for missions? I'm going to wring her god damned sexy little neck if she survives that much voltage." **

**Converting his form into lightning, Laxus flashed to the area, landing on the top of one of the taller buildings. The woman was a fool to destroy two Thunder Palace lacrimas floating above the city. The amount of lightning that was unleashed by the organic link to strike a single lacrima's destroyer was backed by enough power to maim most mages. It was unthinkable that Lucy had broken a pair without some way to counteract the powerful discharge.**

**Laxus had counted on keeping Erza and the other women immobilized, but someone broke Evergreen's stone eyes spell and released Titania to join the battle. The moment Erza was able to fight, Laxus had known Evergreen would get defeated first. However, defeating Evergreen meant that it was Erza's fault that Blondie was probably more dead than alive at the moment. Considering how much voltage was in each lacrima, the little rich girl was probably burned badly, and having internal organ failure as her insides boiled if the third explosion was due to the woman managing to take out a third lacrima.**

**Angry as he was at things going awry, Laxus began searching for Lucy's body. Laxus knew he could not fully lay the blame on Erza for the Celestial Mage's stupidity. Erza had shown true leadership and brains by going after the one controlling the hostages, and had done her duty. The results had pleased Laxus, although he would never say as much aloud. The rune spells had reported the needed information. Now Laxus knew how to sort out Fairy Tail's ranks once he took control.**

**Bickslow's voice caught Laxus attention. "It's too late to take her whip away now, Fur ball! She's dying! You gotta untie me so I can use my babies to try and draw the excess Lightning out of her! It's our only shot at saving her!"**

**Swiveling on heel, Laxus spotted the building and flashed into lightning form again. In a matter of seconds Laxus took everything in and understood what needed to be done as he returned to his solid form. The busty blond was seizing, outfit more than half destroyed. **

'_At least the little idiot's still alive. But she won't be for long if I don't get my magic out of her system. Of all the stupid shit she could pull . . . what the hell is wrong with these idiots? Don't they have any sense of survival at all? Damn but she's going to owe me big time. I am going to make sure to take my payment in full as soon as she's recovered.'_

**The stuttering gasps of the woman trying to breathe, blood sliding out of her nose and mouth was all evidence that Laxus needed to know she was running out of time. Part of him hesitated, asking if he should let the young woman die before she became a bigger headache than she was worth. **

"**Cosplay Queen took out three lacrimas, Laxus Sama. She wouldn't listen and stay down. I tried to tell her the Palace wasn't going off, and that it was past time for it to activate. She wouldn't listen to anything I tried to tell her. Even after getting fried twice, she somehow got back on her feet and took out a third one while still sparking from the other two hits." **

**Seeing Bickslow without his helmet on, looking like he had gotten the shit beat out of him, squirming to get closer while hog tied reminded Laxus of his earlier decision. If the small woman did survive, and had her magic intact, Lucy Heartfilia would deserve to become one of the toughest women mages Laxus had ever met. **

**Stalking forward and yanking the convulsing woman into his arms, Laxus focused on drawing the lightning out of her body. Focusing on reversing the electricity into himself, Laxus drew the glowing energy up into his arms, static discharging and crackling as it flowed back into his body with reluctance. If not for his training as a lightening mage before he was implanted with the dragon lacrima, Laxus would not have known how to syphon back his own magic. It hurt to do it, but Laxus had plans for the gorgeous girl. He was not about to let her foil everything that Laxus worked so hard to accomplish. Making Fairy Tail the most formidable guild in all Fiore would require time, effort and money to achieve. Much as Laxus despised the knowledge, he needed the woman he was fighting to save. Once the last of the lightning from Lucy was writhing in his own veins, Laxus lifted one of his arms and discharged the massive force into the sky. Feeling her muscles relax, Laxus glanced down to see that the girl was indeed burned. Getting her medical attention was necessary. However, Laxus did not dare change form with her in his arms. **

"**Untie Bicks right now, Happy. We've got to get her to the guild fast, or she'll die." **

Laxus gritted his teeth as he came out of the all too fresh memory of racing back to the guild with Bickslow as his guide in a mad dash to keep Lucy alive. The image of knee high boots, and a much longer length skirt Lucy was wearing when he returned followed hard on the heels of the unpleasant memory.

Pulling his head back behind the curtain, Laxus ran a hand through his hair. The little wench had hidden the true extent of her remaining injuries from him and it made Laxus even angrier with her. Considering the raw, angry red welts, and in some cases, genuine blisters that he had glanced before recoiling, Laxus was appalled that Lucy was able to do all the typing and sorting she had already done. The image of her too pale, slightly sweaty face rose to haunt Laxus mind.

Clearing his throat, Laxus swallowed thickly. "I just heard that Blondie collapsed and was brought in here. How's she doing?"

Porlyusica's feminine grunt preceded her scathing tone. "Stupid girl's a mess, no thanks to your damned half baked spell."

Anger surging at being lectured by the cranky old woman, Laxus snarled in return. "At least I sucked the lightning out of her before she could die. She's the idiot that didn't think about the consequences after seeing the damage she was going to get by destroying any of the lacrimas. The fact she chose to take out three of them in a row is her own damned fault."

"Get out of here. I'll send Levi with the details after I know them myself. I'm too busy to put up with your tantrums right now, Moron!"

"Fine. I'll be in my office." A chest deep snarl rattling through his body, Laxus stormed out of the infirmary as the image of burned flesh marring Lucy's exquisite body nipped at his conscience.

~~oo0oo~~


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Still can't lay any claim upon Fairy Tail cannon characters although I do love playing with them. Sucks because I would so love to own the rights on Laxus' rotten personality! Heheh, oh the evil my plot bunnies could do with him if he was mine! :) My deepest gratitude for the latest faves, follows, PM's, and reviews going out to everyone.

CHAPTER 5

The moment Laxus entered the guild, Mirajane was in his face, practically vibrating with the vicious miasma from her magic. "Laxus, what did you do to Lucy yesterday? Don't even bother telling me to mind my own business either!"

"Che. It's too early for you to start spouting bullshit, and I've got a lot of work to do, Demon." Laxus growled and tried to side step the pushy woman.

"You better pay attention to what I'm telling you, Laxus. Keep your hands off Lucy, or else." Mira's soft toned promise of violence grabbed Laxus attention.

Glaring back at the furious looking woman, Laxus began sparking as his inner wellspring of suppressed rage rose to the surface. It seemed the top model in Fiore believed she was at the same strength she had before throwing away her S class status. Without Freed's unwitting help, Mirajane would not be able to touch her take over magic at all. The fact the woman allowed herself to be crippled by her sister's death made her far weaker than most other mages in Fairy Tail.

"Or else what, Demon?" Laxus demanded in an equally soft, yet deadly voice.

"I'll find a way to make you pay, and I won't be alone in coming after you. Lucy's the sweetest and kindest girl I've ever met. Everyone in Fairy Tail feels the same way about her. We won't stand by if you decide to amuse yourself at her expense." Mira hissed back, magic fluctuating enough to cause her dominant demon form's possession scar to waver in and out of existence.

"Lets make one thing very clear. You want to challenge me, fine, but don't use Blondie as an excuse, Mira."

"You arrogant bastard! I'm not challenging you as you put it! I'm letting you know that we all love Lucy enough to protect her no matter how difficult it might be. I know you did something to her yesterday because I saw the broken skin on her wrists and lower back! You grabbed her and caused the burns to tear. I know you're out to hurt Lucy for some reason, but I don't understand why!" Mira's voice rose steadily as she flung accusations at him.

"I don't owe you any fucking explanations. Either get to work, or return the guild key and get the fuck out because I don't have time for your melodrama. I've got a guild to save, and there's nothing happening that you need to concern yourself with outside of tending the bar. Fairy Tail doesn't need dead weight dragging it any deeper into the gutter than it's already fallen." Laxus ground out.

The look that crossed Mirajane's face was priceless. Her angry expression was marred by her mouth opening and snapping shut without a sound escaping her lips. If anything, Laxus thought Mirajane was looking remarkably like an annoyed fish. Had he believed the woman capable of listening, Laxus would have told her about saving Blondie from busting her skull open on the edge of his desk. Considering how top heavy his new secretary was, it was no surprise that she would be a bit of a klutz at times. As things stood, however, Laxus was too angry to give a damn about what Mirajane believed. The moment Mirajane used the concern for Lucy excuse as a means to threaten him, was the moment that Laxus had to put Freed's crush in her place. Satisfied that Mira had gotten the message, Laxus turned away from her and headed to the infirmary. He wanted to check on his grandfather and the little klutz he had saddled himself with to get more work done. It did not hurt anything that said klutz had an incredible body that Laxus wanted to get far better acquainted with some time soon.

Laxus clearly heard Porlyusica snarl before he even before he reached the doorway. "Don't you dare get out of that bed, Missy! It took me an hour to get all the bandages soaked off of you so I could treat your burns yesterday. Until further notice you are staying in that bed and resting, you little idiot!"

"You need to listen, and rest the way Porlyusica is telling you to, Lu-chan. You're only hurting yourself more by trying to get out of bed. Give your burns a chance to heal. I'm sure everything will work out for the best." The little blue haired mage Laxus had on stand by to relay messages was talking as Laxus strode into the infirmary.

"And let Fairy Tail be disbanded? Have you both lost your minds? I'm more than some stupid debutante that likes to play with Celestial Spirits! My father insisted that I know how to run a business from the time I was little. Let me help Laxus save our guild. I promise I won't do any real lifting today, and I'll be more careful so I won't hurt myself again. If it kills me, I'm still going to prove that I can save our home!" Lucy shrieked at the two women trying to hold her down.

A brow lifting, as the distinctive scent of orchids and subtle musk that comprised Lucy's scent filled his lungs, Laxus recalled saying something to the effect of Blondie being a debutante and playing at being a mage right after Phantom Lord attacked, was defeated, and ultimately disbanded. The little minx recalled the trouble she had caused in the past, and how he had spoken to her about it. Laxus thought her argument was a good indicator of her mind set, and it was a huge temptation to hold over her gorgeous little head if need be. The costs incurred from rebuilding the guild could have paid off back owed Magic Council fines. Still, Laxus knew his grandfather never intended to hold Lucy accountable for all the trouble she had caused.

However, it sounded like Heartfilia was determined to make good on her outstanding crimes and debts to the guild now that she had the opportunity. Her determination was admirable in Laxus' opinion. If the woman had a good business head, it was very possible she would prove valuable in more ways than one. Lucy knew how to do filing, and had already figured out an easier system to store all the paperwork that made sense to Laxus. Unlike his grandfather's system of cramming things in different drawers without rhyme or reason, the blond had already straightened and alphabetizes multiple cabinets of forms.

"At the rate you're going, your burns could kill you if you don't stay in bed until the torn skin scabs, Foolish Girl. After your stunt yesterday, expect scarring on your forearms and back! If you continue pushing yourself, even more of your skin will tear beyond my ability to heal because you'll get infection in them. Do you want to be disfigured with puckered skin for the rest of your life?" Porlyusica snapped while wearing her trademark scowl.

"I don't care if these burns do ruin my skin! I'll consider it a blessing! At least then my father won't be able to sell me to the highest bidder to expand his own fortune! He never even acknowledged my existence until he found someone to buy me to expand his railroad! My father kept me locked away and never even looked at me unless he wanted to remind me of my duty as breeding stock for his empire! Having scars means nobody will lock me in an opulent cage because they won't want me at all! Saving Fairy Tail is the only thing that matters. It's the only place where people treat me like an ordinary person! Why can't you understand that proving I'm worthy of my guild mark is the only thing that I can call my own achievement, Porlyusica? Keeping the guild together so I have a place that feels like a home is worth any sacrifice I have to make. I want to stay in Fairy Tail. I love this place because I'm accepted for myself." Blondie's bitter hued words halted Laxus in his tracks.

How often had Laxus felt the same way because of his own family's famous legacy? Laxus wondered as he listened to Blondie break down and start crying. Dawning comprehension of their similarities in detesting their family names seeped into Laxus mind. As her words sank beneath the surface, Laxus understood her bitterness far too intimately to shake off as coincidence. Fists clenching, Laxus found himself torn by the knowledge that the spoiled young woman had as much right to rage as himself, if a fraction of her words were true. Laxus' own dream was to surpass his grandfather so he would never again be viewed as Makarov's grandson. The need to escape the burden of expectations, and the confines of another's grandiose shadow.

The weight of a Wizard Saint's shadow lay unbearably heavy upon Laxus' own shoulders more often than not. Never truly appreciated for his own merit, or his own achievements, Laxus knew exactly what Blondie meant with each word uttered. It was the desire to be seen for himself that made Makarov Dreyer's shadow so demeaning for Laxus to bear. His own father had become a monster trying to break free of the same shadow's legacy. Ivan had implanted a dragon lacrima in Laxus for the sole purpose of trying to shatter Makarov's constricting, choking shadow. Without the Dragon Slayer powers, Laxus knew he would never put the old man's shadow to rest and step into his own spotlight. Did Heartfilia also feel as if she was trapped within a strangling, choking darkness she could not escape to find a ray of light that was set aside for herself alone?

Yet hearing Blondie describe herself as having been locked away to be sold as breeding stock sounded like a fate worse than death. To Laxus, who valued his freedom, her words were nauseating. Every bitter word she had spoken felt like a harsh blow, although she had no idea Laxus was even present to hear her. Although Laxus did not understand Blondie's view of Fairy Tail, since he thought such sentiments led to weakness, he did understand the desperation to be an independent, valued person. In that regard Laxus shared the pretty blond's sentiments with the sum of his being.

Yet if what she said was true, Laxus knew his own plans for the woman would make him the same in her eyes as her own father. Or would they? Fairy Tail could be saved from the Council readily if Laxus could keep Heartfilia around, plus it would make his life easier if he did not have to worry about losing such an efficient helper. Gaining an alliance with Heartfilia could even have perks beyond what Laxus had planned already, but only if he phrased things the right way. However, if he understood Blondie's situation correctly, creating an opening to work with her father would not work to Laxus' advantage. If anything, Laxus risked losing more than he would gain, even if he did manage to clear a large amount of the fines owed to the Council.

Watching the golden haired woman as she swiped at her teary eyes, Laxus was all too aware that she was gorgeous, even when falling apart. The way her chest heaved under the formless gown Porlyusica made her wear was enough to set Laxus blood on fire. Returning Blondie to her father was not the best option Laxus decided. A hefty reward for her return would not last long enough, and Laxus was already seeing that returning Heartfilia would cause too many other losses long term.

Debutante or not, the woman knew how to organize an office filing system. Her speed in typing up forms without messing up the text using the lacrima typewriter now sitting on the second desk ensconced in the main office was impressive. Watching the woman type faster than he could write had been a shock to Laxus the previous day. The way her fingers had flown as she worried her lower lip had proven a bit of a turn on for Laxus as he glanced over at her. Laxus did not wish to lose the woman's skills or a chance to get her in his bed.

In the worst case scenario, it would not be a real hardship to marry her to gain her father's cooperation as far as Laxus was concerned. The best of both worlds was to be had if he could gain an alliance with the Heartfilia family in Laxus opinion. The Heartfilia empire was impressive. When push came to shove, accepting his newly forming idea would give Blondie a sense of security. If anyone could protect Lucy Heartfilia, it was himself. Of that, Laxus had no doubts.

Mind still forming his new plan, Laxus walked over to the small group. Gaining concessions would still be difficult, but Laxus believed he could work out the various kinks as he moved forward. His plans did not include turning Lucy Heartfilia into breeding stock. It would be mutually beneficial to the both if she cooperated.

"I need to talk to Lucy." Laxus spoke without preamble.

"She's not leaving her bed today. Do you hear me?" Porlyusica snapped as she faced Laxus.

"Of course she's staying in bed. She could barely stay steady on her feet halfway through yesterday. If I hadn't caught her when she tripped on her own chair's leg, she'd have busted her skull open on the edge of my desk. I also want to point out that I wasn't informed that she isn't supposed to be lifting anything. A problem that can be resolved by you telling me exactly what she is and is not supposed to be doing, I might add." Laxus growled right back at the old healer with his arms crossing his chest.

The old woman frowned as she looked between Lucy and himself. "Why didn't you send her to the infirmary right after she nearly fell?"

"I didn't realize she was in trouble. I'm not an expert healer like you, Porlyusica. She went right back to working so I assumed she was fine, if a bit of a klutz. Had I known something was actually wrong with her, I would have brought her down here immediately."

The darkening aura surrounding Lucy while he argued with the healer captured Laxus' interest. "Don't even think about throwing a tantrum right now, Blondie. If you really want to save this guild, I need you in good health so you can help me catch up all the work that's sitting upstairs."

"I can still work, Laxus. Porlyusica is being overbearing for no reason. I'm not some hot house flower that will die if I get touched wrong." Lucy grumbled as she looked up with red rimmed eyes.

"From what I overheard, Porlyusica is concerned about infection getting into your wounds, Blondie. I can understand why she's concerned since you're her patient. A lot of the files you were working with yesterday had dust on them. You may not consider the consequences of getting an infection, but now that I'm Master, I damned sure will think for both of us if that's what it takes!" Laxus bellowed the last as his temper flared.

"Oh really? Who died and made you my father? Huh? You may be the acting Master, but I'm the one you need most to get things ironed out with the Magic Council soon. You need my brains, and skills. So don't you dare try to tell me you're going to think for me! And just for the record, you're blond too so you sound like an idiot when calling me blondie!"

What was it about this tiny slip of a woman that made him so angry with very little provocation? Her lack of concern for her own health was downright disturbing. Perhaps it was better for everyone if he kept Natsu away from Lucy until she learned to prioritize taking care of herself.

"If you're looking for a father figure, I can put you over my knee and give your high class debutante ass the paddling of a lifetime, Blondie! Do not presume to act snotty around me because I won't tolerate it. You're injured because you don't use the brains you're so proud of which is a huge liability. Gramps might let you prance around and get yourself hurt because you don't think of the consequences, but I'm not the indulgent type. I will not indulge your damned rich girl tantrums, Heartfilia. You will stay in this bed, and obey all of Porlyusica's restrictions until I say otherwise!"

On the heels of Laxus delivering his furious declaration, a flash of light nearly blinded him. Whirling to detect what was happening, Laxus barely had time to realize that Lahar had someone with a camera standing beside him in the infirmary.

Another flash later, before Laxus could begin to curb his scowl, and Lahar was walking toward him. "Did we come at a bad time, Master Laxus? It seems you're in the middle of an argument with one of your guild members."

"What is going on, Lahar? Who is this guy?" Laxus demanded as he sought to calm down.

"Jason's a reporter from Sorcerer's Weekly. Word has gotten out about Fairy Tail's recent upheaval, so the Council thought it would be best to inform the general public that things are changing around here to prevent future problems." Lahar answered as he pushed his glasses up his aristocratic nose.

"So long as it's understood that he's not taking any picture's of Gramps today I don't mind the camera being here. Makarov's not in any shape to be interviewed either, so he can also forget about doing that. Until Gramps recovers a lot more, he's on strict bed rest, by our healer's orders. I'm enforcing her orders for all of her current, pig headed patients." Laxus bit out as he shot another glare at Lucy Heartfilia who was fisting her bedding and glaring right back at him. "So long as that's understood, he can take pictures in other parts of the guild."

Lahar chuckled. "So I gathered when we arrived and Mirajane said we would find you in here."

Raking a hand through his hair, Laxus fought to keep his voice level as he stomped toward the door. "Let's go to the office. Dealing with stubborn mages is the least pleasant part of a Master's job description. Some of the members here seem to be more stubborn and reckless than others unfortunately."

"I must say that's the first time I've ever heard a Guild Master threaten to spank a member before." Lahar pointed out with obvious amusement dancing in his eyes.

"Yeah well Heartfilia's a special case. Damned woman doesn't know how to set reasonable limits yet. She'll become a great mage once she stops trying to kill herself to prove she's capable."

"As in the Heartfilia Konzern's heiress?" The odd haired reporter asked excitedly.

"The one and the same. Why do you care?" Laxus asked, keeping his voice level with difficulty.

"That's so cool! So does this mean that Fairy Tail has a solid relationship with the Heartfilia railways? If so, what kinds of perks do you guys get?" Jason asked while bouncing around as if his legs were spring loaded much to Laxus annoyance.

"Fairy Tail does not have any connections to the Heartfilia Empire that I'm aware of. Lucy came here because she wants to prove to her father that she's a capable Celestial Mage. She wants to make her own choices and achieve things in her own right. She's got the determination to do it with the right training too." Laxus found himself saying with honest conviction.

Lahar looked at him with genuine surprise. "You do seem to be quite determined to make Fairy Tail into a training ground to improve all your members' magical control."

The neutral tone Lahar used alerted Laxus to be wary in how he responded. "Fastest way to teach my guild members to take steps in using proactive damage control as I've already explained. The Magic council has every right to be upset about the constant complaints. However, with that said, I do want to make very clear that when mages take out dark guilds, and the like, some damages are always going to happen because we aren't the only ones hurling magic. Battles are inevitable, but hopefully with time and everyone here honing their skills, we won't be on the most destructive guild list much longer."

"But isn't that like Fairy Tail's trademark or something?" Jason asked with a goofy smile on his face as Laxus motioned them to enter the Master's office on the top floor.

Grabbing up several of the form stacks, to place on top of Lucy's desk, Laxus cleared enough space for the reporter to sit down. "It is not something to be proud of when there is a team in this guild that has already proven that it is possible to do difficult missions without destroying half a town in a little over half of all S class cases handled."

"Which team would that be if I might ask?" Jason was quick to ask.

"My team, the Thunder Tribe always minimizes damage while maximizing results in all of our missions. Teams need to work well together. Team work starts with understanding how each member's magic works, and thinking in terms of overall strategy with tactical flexibility to handle any unexpected problems that may arise during a fight. S class and double S class missions are the only jobs my team has taken for three years because we understand how to handle the worst possible scenarios with minimal damage to ourselves, and to community property."

"I heard that there was some sort of exercise held throughout Magnolia that went sour so the parade was postponed for a day. Is that true?"

A glance at Lahar told Laxus where the nosy reporter had gotten that piece of information. "We created a series of tests to uncover the actual reasons for many of our members being overly destructive. It was a series of tests that tested thinking skills, strategy and tactical flexibility all three. The data we gained is being used to address those flaws we discovered."

"So this wasn't some kind of hostile takeover like people are saying on the street then?" Jason pressed.

Feeling his brows twitching, Laxus took a deep breath to keep from sparking at the reporter's audacity in front of a Rune Knight Commander of Lahar's status. "The fact is that Makarov's health is failing because of the strain of dealing with constant trips to the Magic Council to explain why certain Fairy Tail members have a bad habit of destroying more property than they should. Although he remains one of the most powerful mages in all of Fiore, he recently had a heart attack, and that's unacceptable to me, and to the Magic Council. Getting everyone in this guild to learn the value of taking precautions when on missions is one of my top priorities while I'm running this guild. Reducing my grandfather's stress is one of my highest priorities. I can only succeed if I know what the problems are, and who needs the most training to control their power better. Now does that really sound to you like I staged a hostile take over, Jason?"

Jason shook his head. "Not at all. It sounds like you're trying to take care of your grandfather in his later years. I'm sorry to hear Makarov Sama's so ill. Will this affect his place among the Wizard Saints?"

Lahar answered. "The Magic Council has made no mention of stripping Makarov of his position as a Wizard Saint due to his illness. So long as he makes a full recovery, we have no reason to replace Makarov as a Wizard Saint due to his heart condition."

"Cool. So can I talk to your members now, Master Laxus?"

"Knock yourself out. Just keep in mind that some of them are rather pissed off about my cracking down on their out of control behavior." Laxus answered as he picked up the pen on his desk with the intention of signing off on the last of the forms Lucy had typed up before her collapse the previous afternoon. "I've got something to discuss with you that's guild business related, Lahar. So can you stick around?"

Lahar cleared his throat and spoke in his most authoritative voice. "Of course. I think it is only reasonable however that Jason understands that either you crack down on your guild members, or Fairy Tail may be disbanded by the Magic Council. And yes, Jason, you do need to add that to your article as a warning for all the legal guilds in Fiore to heed. If Fairy Tail's acting Master can successfully turn Fairy Tail around, it will remain a legal guild. If the members will not cooperate with Laxus, I am authorized to disband Fairy Tail. The same will apply to all guilds from this point forward, and depending on the results Fairy Tail's Acting Master gets, we may implement the same penance strategy in all legal guilds with unusually destructive mages who have memberships. So, by all means, go downstairs and interview whomever you so desire while I discuss things with Master Laxus."

Laxus found it hard to prevent his jaw from dropping as Lahar finished speaking. Jason looked dumbfounded for several seconds before nodding and standing up. "I'll just excuse myself then. Thanks for the interview, Master Laxus." With a quick pump of both arms as if in congratulations, the reporter bolted out of the room, closing the door behind him.

"Did you really have to add the part about Fairy Tail being in danger of getting disbanded, Lahar?" Laxus grumbled as he faced the Rune Knight.

"It was the Magic Council who insisted on this course, Laxus. I have to follow my orders. They handle complaints for numerous legal guilds, and this is their way of reminding all legal guilds that the Council's rules will be obeyed."

"So what was with your little speech about possibly implementing my plans in all guilds then? Are you simply posturing for the Council's benefit, Lahar?"

"Not at all. Certain members of the Council are quite impressed with your plan so far. Targeting specific weaknesses to overcome is a rather interesting idea that the Council hopes you will successfully execute. So is there anything else you wanted to say to me, Laxus?"

"I want Heartfilia in this office. She has training in business management, and her skill set would make it easier to get all the back owed debt to the Council cleaned up faster. I know you said that only Guild Masters are allowed access to a lot of the information each guild handles, but I know she's not going to discuss things with anyone but me if she does get access so long as she understands the responsibility."

"Are we talking about the same woman you were on the second floor threatening to paddle earlier?" Lahar asked with a look that bordered upon scandalized.

"Yes, I'm talking about her. Look, that blow up's beside the point, Lahar. She was refusing to stay in bed and I got pissed off because she was saying she doesn't care about getting infection in her wounds. Okay? Lucy wants to do everything she can to help save this guild, and I want to give her the chance because she has the skill set. I just need her to be given clearance to work with me. Fairy Tail has always backed the Magic Council and always will. We've got a century of history in creating Wizard Saints, and saving Fiore from disasters that other guilds can't claim. Do you really want to see this guild disbanded when I'm willing to get it back on the right track for you, but need her help to make the dead lines?" Laxus pointed out while shifting the subject away from his earlier embarrassing outburst.

"Are you certain you can deal with Lucky Lucy Heartfilia every day, Laxus? From what I saw, you were at each other's throats."

"I'm pissed at her for doing all the things she wasn't allowed to do yesterday. Lucy came up to do some typing for me because my hand writing's impossible for most people to read. She ignored our Healer's orders yesterday, and tried to organize all the files while I was at the guild meeting with you. She opened up a couple of her wounds and collapsed downstairs in the main beer hall. Half the damned guild flipped out and more than a few members are blaming me for her stubborn obsession with saving the guild."

"Hm, I don't see why I can't get her the clearance you're requesting. I'll contact Seigrain this evening. He's your biggest supporter at the moment. I'm sure he can arrange the clearance for Miss Heartfilia within the next two days."

"Thanks, Lahar. I appreciate the help." Laxus responded.

"Just turn this guild's reputation around, Laxus. Seeing a guild with a reputation for producing great Mages who become Wizard Saints getting shut down would be tragic."

With those words, Lahar left the office, closing the door behind him. Looking down at the stack of documents he still needed to sign, Laxus groaned. He was really wondering what other nasty surprises the Magic Council had in store for Fairy Tail. On the heels of that thought, Laxus remembered that he never got around to talking to Lucy Heartfilia because of losing his temper with her antics. Dropping his head onto the desk top, Laxus wondered how long it would take to get everything in place so that he could finally turn Fairy Tail into his real vision. One part of his vision was going to include not having mountains of paper work to do while creating the most formidable guild in all the nation.

~~oo0oo~~


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I don't own Fairy Tail. I checked the stats on this story this morning and was stunned to see 45 faves, 70 alerts, and 40 reviews for 5 posted chapters as of 5/06/2015. I am truly stunned that this A/U is so popular. Thanks so much to everyone who has graciously made this story so popular. I guess writing the pre rehabilitated Laxus seesawing between good and bad due to emotional turmoil, and the need to heal from his dad's horrible abuse resonates with readers. Well, my vacation is drawing to a close. Looks like I will soon be back to my normal 6 to 10 days posting once I resume my real world responsibilities, with the attached wacky schedule. It's been a lot of fun writing for as long as I desire each day. I'm going to miss it when I have to juggle and scrape out time again. **Bold = flashback /series of events **_italics = thoughts_ _**combo flashback thoughts**_

CHAPTER 6

'**Setting his mug down, Laxus decided to turn his music on in an attempt to drown out the worst of the noise because of Flametard storming into the guild hall shrieking like a fiend. When his nose picked up something new, almost ambrosial in nature, Laxus found himself inhaling the new scent on the air while trying to pinpoint the source. Orchids, soft musk, and an undefinable something that reminded Laxus of a warm, moon kissed, velvety night's peace flooded his heightened senses. Dropping his feet onto the wooden floor, Laxus found himself looking down into the loser's section below where he spotted a new girl in a white with blue trimmed shirt with short ruffled blue skirt looking horrified as she lifted her hands in surrender. The further Laxus eyes traveled down the golden haired newcomer's body, the bigger his smirk got. Taking in the gorgeous, curvy figure Laxus corrected himself. Only a woman had such incredible curves. The newcomer managed to escape the worst of the fray but was looking confused, frightened, and a bit irritated. With all the noise, Laxus could not hear whatever it was that she was muttering while shaking her head. Laxus wondered what kind of magic the young woman used to create that undefinable portion of her scent that his nose had locked onto with such a feverish need to classify. Somehow, Flametard had found an exquisite little beauty to drag home.' **

'_Why am I thinking about Blondie right now? I need to focus on getting these reports filled out. Damn her for being so distracting. I really need to figure out how to get her in bed so I can stop fixating on her.'_ Laxus thought as his eyes settled upon the Lacrima typewriter Lucy had used the previous day.

'_**God damned nose. Why am I so fixated on Blondie's vanilla orchid, moon beams and musk scent?'**_** Laxus thought as his eyes found the newest Fairy Tail mage who was smiling and waving to everyone who already adored her. Unlike her newly formed team, Blondie was looking exhausted. Natsu and Gray were already escalating beyond bickering, and Erza marched like a militia member toward the bar as if she could continue traveling for many more hours.'**

Seeking to chase yet another memory from his mind, Laxus felt and heard the pen in his hand snap. Dumping the latest ruined stylus into the garbage can, Laxus opened the desk drawer to grab another. Lust was nothing new to Laxus, but he could not recall where else he had felt such raw, primal desires as those which Heartfilia created within him. Worst of all was the powerful sense of calm that rose whenever Laxus was in her presence for too long. Something about Blondie's existence threw Laxus out of himself, and he had a nagging whisper in the back of his mind that he could not quite bring to the surface.

'**A defiant gleam in her eyes, Blondie showed pride in her stupidity at destroying three thunder palace lacrima which came terrifyingly close to killing her. Her seductive scent was almost buried under the antiseptic tones of burned flesh, herbal remedies, and clean bandages which grated on Laxus nerves somehow.**

'_I really should send her home to her fucking father, and claim a big reward for her return. Why am I even arguing with myself about getting rid of her when I've already seen how much trouble she causes? A fucking guild has already been disbanded because of the Heartfilia Konzern trying to get her back. Blondie's nothing but a spoiled little rich girl rebelling against growing up. She has everything a person could possibly want waiting for her at home, so why is she running away from the high society life? As much as she whines about paying her rent all the time, I'd think she'd realize she doesn't have to continue living like she is right now. Getting rid of her now can only benefit me.'_

'**A brilliant smile on the cheerful woman's face was the first thing Laxus noticed when his nose zeroed in on that beguiling scent he could not stop seeking. / Little fists shaking, Blondie was screaming at Flametard and even managing to make the pink haired menace cower. '**_**What the hell is going on here? Only Erza can control that idiot, right?' **_**/ A musical and uplifting laugh that beguiled him caught Laxus ears. Despite his intentions, Laxus felt his irritation slipping away as he watched the golden haired temptress laugh at her rowdy teammates who were butting heads below. Joy seemed to brighten the lower level of the Beer Hall, as more people picked up her infectious, hearty laughter.' **

Rhythmic thumping on the solid oak door yanked Laxus out of his memories and reminded him of the papers he needed to finish filling out. A glance around the office reminded Laxus that he still had an obscene mountain of paperwork to get done, and was running out of time to complete it all. Spacing out was not getting Laxus anywhere closer to saving his new acquisition, and that angered him. The growing fascination Laxus felt with every contact involving Heartfilia needed to be stamped out immediately.

It was getting late enough to need the light lacrimas turned on if he was going to continue working toward clearing out all the backlog. The memory of how quickly Heartfilia filled in and handed over forms had startled Laxus in a good way. He got to flex his fingers to prevent cramping between signatures, but not much more while working with the golden haired woman who was yet again taking up too much of Laxus attention. Again Laxus found his eyes resting upon the silent type writer sitting one desk over.

'**Rapid fire clicking and clacking with interspersed soft dings of the lacrima typewriter coupled with the returning soft scent that Laxus found soothing. Blondie might be many things, but recalling her expression and telltale shiver from earlier told Laxus that she was not immune. Boring as the job was, Laxus found that spending the afternoon in the office with the industrious Celestial Mage was one of the most relaxing things he had done of late. **

'_I can always send Blondie home after this mess gets fixed. She's far more capable of filling out these damned forms than me. Even when she's at her most distracting, it's so much easier to make inroads through this boring bull shit task when she's here.'_

Rubbing a hand over his face as he tried to hide his conflicted emotions, Laxus bellowed, "Enter!"

Much to his surprise, Mirajane entered with a tray full of food and a tall mug of beer. The woman looked contrite. "Is there a problem, Demon?"

Seeing the woman flinch, Laxus felt his brows dip. "I brought you something to eat since you haven't come downstairs today. And, . . . I wanted to apologize for this morning."

Leaning back in his chair, Laxus found himself confused by her admission. Considering how furious Mira was that morning, Laxus could not help but think there was a catch to her change of heart. Heaving a tired sigh, Laxus shuffled incomplete paper stacks around so that she could set her burden down.

"Why the sudden change of heart?" Laxus asked as she placed the meal in front of him.

Bowing her head, Mira spoke in a soft voice. "Lucy cleared things up. Levi chan also told me about the argument you had with Lucy this morning. So, I'm sorry that I made such horrible assumptions about you. If you had only explained that you kept her from falling, . . ."

Laxus pinched the bridge of his nose, grumbling loud enough to silence Mirajane. "You're mind was already made up, so why should I waste my breath, Mirajane? I don't make a habit of defending my actions when I know it won't make any difference."

'_So Blondie's concealing the fact that I was teasing her. And here I thought she would whine to everyone about my hitting on her the moment she got the chance. She keeps getting more interesting with everything she does. Knowing she can keep her mouth shut only makes me want to bed her even worse. Damn I really need to get better control over my dick. Damned woman is slowly driving me crazy, and I sure as hell don't understand any of it.' _

Mirajane's voice forced Laxus to drop his line of thinking. "Well, you did say some really rotten things when I contacted you about helping us defeat Phantom Lord. How was I supposed to know you weren't being a huge pervert with Lucy, Laxus?"

"Let's get one thing straight right now, Mirajane. Other people's private lives are none of your damned business. Got it? And another thing, if anything happens between me and Blondie, it will be because she's interested in it happening." Laxus snarled at the silver haired Take Over mage.

"It becomes my business when someone I care about will get badly hurt, Laxus. Don't you dare set your sights on Lucy if all you're interested in is adding another notch in your bedpost! Lucy deserves better than an empty one night stand."

From the doorway, Freed's voice cut through Mirajane's complaints. "Your lack of faith in Miss Heartfilia is rather . . . disturbing, Mira. A true friend would trust Miss Heartfilia to decide her own personal affairs. As Laxus Sama stated, he only involves himself with willing partners, Mira."

Whirling to face Freed, Mira's hands curled around her serving tray hard enough to make the wood creak. "Real friends always look out for each other. I've known all of you for how many years? Do you really think I can't see the kind of interest Laxus has in Lucy? She's an innocent girl with absolutely no experience dealing with womanizers like Laxus. Lucy wouldn't realize that Laxus isn't interested in a committed relationship until it was far too late to not get burned, Freed."

Bickslow chuckled as he also entered the office. "I bet Cosplayer's smarter than you think, Demon."

"Smarter, smarter, smarter," echoed the totems drifting around Bickslow's head and shoulders.

"Agreed, Bicks. Mira doesn't understand anything about how High Society functions." Laxus added.

Freed nodded. "Very true. Otherwise Mira would know that for women like Heartfilia san, one night stands that are allowed to become public are grounds for stripping all rank and association from one's peers. If Heartfilia genuinely intends to return to her previous life, she will stubbornly hold onto her chastity as insurance she can return with minimal scandal."

Bickslow laughed. "Don't forget the little virgins who decide they want a real man before getting hitched to some old bastard their daddy's pick for them. How many socialites have we had beg one of us to give her the only good time she'll ever have whenever we do security for the nobility?"

Mirajane's eyes looked ready to pop out of her head. Laxus found it amusing that the woman was as naive as she remained. All the modeling spreads she did to keep Fairy Tail in view of the general population seemed to have done nothing to teach her the real power of sex appeal. "I can't believe you would take advantage of those girls while you're under contract to protect the client's interests! That's despicable!"

Laxus growled chest deep and began to explain to the ignorant woman how the Thunder tribe handled such side requests. "You're out of line, Mirajane. Nobody in my team ever fools around with High Society bimbos while we're actively providing security for a client. The women make very clear where they want us to show up after our job's completed, and that rule will always remain in place. I've already told you that I'm weak against sexy acts like stripping, and I've met too many rich, spoiled heiresses who love to put on a show if it will get them what they want. Some of the women who proposition us are too smoking hot for any sane man to turn down. Most go out of their way to conceal their tracks, but a few younger women want out of High Society and will do anything to get free. The ones that want freedom the most will go to any extreme in order to get expelled from their circles, including destroy their own reputations. Blondie will do the exact same thing that women born into her station always do in the end. If she wants out, she'll find someone who will help her get out by sleeping with them, without bothering to get married. If she has any doubts about whether or not she's willing to throw her reputation away, Blondie will refuse to do anything more than light flirting."

Hand covering her mouth, Mira made a horrified sounding noise that conveyed her disgust eloquently. "You're unbelievable. I can't believe how despicable you've become, Laxus Dreyer. Makarov would be horrified if he knew the kinds of things you've done! All this time, he defended you when you didn't deserve it! The way you're talking about Lucy makes me sick!"

Freed shook his head and expelled an exasperated breath. "Socialites ask Laxus Sama to help them all the time. The women decide what they desire, and Laxus does all that he can to help them achieve their goals. I dare say it seems to have escaped your notice that Laxus Sama and his team remain the most sought out members of Fairy Tail to handle elite functions. The nobility class knows very well what's at stake, and they are the ones who make the rules. Laxus has no interest in overstepping their rules, Mira."

"Enough of this pointless chatter. How did everyone's training routine go today? Any trouble I need to know about, Freed?" Laxus asked in a not so subtle dismissal of the prying barmaid.

"I've taken notes on everyone's progress, Laxus Sama." Freed responded.

Seeing that Mirajane was still present, Laxus lifted a hand to stall Freed's report. "Is there something else you need to discuss, namely anything that involves the guild's bar, Mira?"

Anger flashed in Mirajane's eyes. Shaking her head, Mirajane slammed the door on her way out of the room. "You were saying, Freed?"

"Natsu's refusing to cooperate, Laxus Sama. He whines about how boring meditation is, and constantly complains that how Igneel taught him is the only way a Dragon Slayer is supposed to train."

Evergreen tapped her fan against her chin as she began talking. "Natsu acts like a wild animal. I suppose his behavior should be expected since he was raised by a beast. Sometimes I think he belongs in a zoo instead of our guild. He refuses to learn how to comport himself with human dignity."

The nods Freed and Bickslow gave in agreement mirrored Laxus own feelings toward the younger Dragon Slayer. Natsu Dragneel was stubborn, and hyperactive around the clock. The only thing Laxus liked about the teenaged dynamo was Natsu's enthusiasm and need to prove himself. _'Just watching Flametard in the guild hall is enough to exhaust me. How the hell do Erza and Blondie handle that out of control pain in the ass? Come to think about, Blondie seems to even get that moron to behave a little longer than Erza. Maybe she can give Freed some ideas that will work.'_

Realizing his mind had yet again spun back to thinking about Heartfilia, Laxus felt his mood take an even darker dive. "Freed, go talk to Blondie about what works best to get that idiot to focus. She's worked with him long enough to have some idea of what he responds to best. In the meantime, we can probably hold Heartfilia's time for him over his head at the same time. I've noticed he fights the rune barrier that keeps him from disturbing the infirmary patients whenever she's in there. If the fear of a cage doesn't work, then perhaps sticks and carrots will. Since Natsu acts like a beast, perhaps we should use training tactics more fitting to a beast's training."

Evergreen sighed, "Or we could simply hand him over to the Rune Knights and get rid of him. One less headache for you to have to deal with, Laxus Sama."

"For all that Natsu's immature and annoying, Ever, he's also prone to display short bursts of phenomenal power. I'd rather tame and train him than throw away the potential I've seen in Natsu. If possible I'd rather beat the trash attitude out of him kind of like polishing a diamond in the rough. Although I am not wild about Redfox being here, something the other Guild Masters said inclines me to keep him around as well."

"What was said that changed your mind, Laxus Sama?" Freed asked.

"Several guild masters were talking about how Fairy Tail is collecting Dragon Slayers and thought it was a dangerous move to allow more than one per guild. Lahar said he would ask the Magic Council about it after Master Bob pointed out that Slayers are known to become increasingly powerful, the older they get. With that in mind, gaining control over them is a step in the right direction for Fairy Tail. In fact, I insist upon getting and keeping those two in line long term."

Bickslow grumbled, "Ain't that going to keep the Magic Council breathing down your neck? Paying off the back owed fines, and catching up this paperwork mess means you already got a lot to handle. We don't need that Lahar guy getting extra excuses to snoop around here and causing problems. Instead of getting to clear out all the dead beats, you're now trapped with them for three months, possibly longer. If having those two here is gonna force you to keep playing this goody two shoes game, then I'd rather see them gone, even if we lose this guild. Ain't like you can't start another one that don't got so many problems."

Throughout Bickslow's commentary, his totems echoed phrases that Bickslow was the most emotional about, as was a normal Seith Magic side effect. The fact the trapped souls echoed certain phrases, such as 'see them gone' far more often than normal meant Bickslow was not confident they could tame the Dragon Slayers Laxus realized.

"I don't accept defeat, Bickslow. You should know that by now. Natsu's going to learn his place, and accept it. He's too stupid and optimistic to see the truth unless he's beaten, and I can do that easily enough. The same applies to Redox. When he steps out of line, I'll beat him back into his place. Teamed together, they couldn't beat me. They both know it, and have no choice but accept who's stronger. Animals understand that the weak obey the strong. They're going to obey me because they were raised to believe in the natural order."

Freed cleared his throat, hands toying with the notebook he held as Laxus continued, "Everyone hand over your schedules. Go find those idiots while I read everything, Freed. Be sure to check on Blondie to make sure she's still obeying my orders. Get ideas on how to control Flametard's behaviors while visiting the infirmary. Tell Blondie that you're worried about Natsu getting arrested, and I'm sure she'll go out of her way to be helpful."

"Are we dismissed, Laxus Sama?" Evergreen asked in a coy voice.

"Yes. Now leave me alone so I can eat and figure out how to deal with the trouble makers in this guild in peace." His team filed out quickly as Laxus yanked his meal tray closer and began eating. Once the first bite of food touched his tongue, Laxus realize exactly how hungry he had become while alternately working, and daydreaming about a woman he knew was better left alone.

~~oo0oo~~


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I do not own Fairy Tail or make money off of this story. To the guest reviewers: I am so glad you like the dialog I write, and yes I will keep writing despite going back to the normal lunacy called real life. Can't update as fast as many want me to as I do have real world responsibilities claiming a fair amount of my time. I already update as fast as I can get time for writing. Thanks to everyone who has faved, followed, and reviewed yet again. You guys inspire me to keep digging into Laxus and Lucy's psyches to bring you new chapters as I can get them typed and shared. Special shout out to Oldtime Scribe because "You totally get how my plot bunnies work!"

CHAPTER 7

"Miss Heartfilia, would you be so kind as to spare me a few minutes of your time?" a slightly stiff, masculine voice startled Lucy out of her list writing project.

Looking up from the journal Levi had brought her, Lucy was startled to see Freed Justine standing near the foot of her bed. The mage's expression seemed tense, and unnaturally controlled. Curious about why the mage was so uncomfortable, Lucy shifted her expression to be more inviting as she smiled and waved him into the chair Levi had vacated earlier.

"Of course, Freed. Please call my Lucy. I don't like honorifics."

"I see. Thank you for speaking with me. I do hope you're comfortable considering your injuries." Freed continued as he settled into the chair.

"Is there a problem, Freed? You wouldn't be here otherwise." Lucy spoke in a gentle tone, but was in no mood to get sidetracked with empty trivialities. She was brainstorming ways to raise money for the Guild which was more important to Lucy.

"Uhm, well, Laxus Sama wanted me to check in on you, and also to ask for some input if you would be willing to share your experience." Freed picked at non existent lint which told Lucy he was unsettled about talking with her.

"I see. What kind of input could Laxus possibly be looking for from me?" Lucy asked as her temper began simmering.

"Laxus sama is upset that Natsu refuses to cooperate in his new training regiment. Unless he cooperates, Natsu will end in the Magic Council's prison system. Laxus Sama wants to avoid that if possible, and he believes you're one of the few people who has any success in handling Natsu's impulsiveness."

"How has Laxus tried to gain Natsu's cooperation? It seems to me that we need to look at the current training schedule that's been devised so it can be fine tuned so to speak." Lucy answered as she squashed her irritation.

Lucy was expecting bad news. It did not take a genius to see that Laxus was not a people person with the much needed ability to understand different personalities. Different people responded to different techniques in diverse ways. No matter how gorgeous Laxus might be on the outside, he was awkward with people. If not outright rotten on several internal levels, Laxus was at least highly arrogant and prone to violence instead of observing others. Something had turned Laxus Dreyer into the dangerous person Lucy knew in her gut. Something was responsible for Laxus becoming heartless, Lucy suspected, and it would be a good idea to find out more in the near future.

In his own way, Laxus reminded Lucy of various elites her father worked with to keep his railways in business. Womanizing, controlling, patronizing, arrogant men who thought they had some divine right to tell others what to do, and reap an unfair share of the profits when the day was done. Such practices were normal for the wealthiest business owners, and the nobility who ruled in Fiore. The rare men who pretended to avoid being overbearing and arrogant were often the most dangerous, as her own father had proven countless times. For all that Laxus was intelligent, he certainly was not dangerously cunning as far as Lucy could tell. Laxus was too straight forward to embrace the required subtleties for launching a truly cunning assault that could provoke real changes.

"Laxus sama seems to think that Natsu needs more structured training so he can learn to curb his reckless tendencies. After all, Natsu tends to be a bit . . . feral . . . on occasion, and that trait does result in his being less aware of his surroundings so he is not very cautious during jobs. At the moment we're trying to get Natsu to do meditation and other strengthening techniques so he can better control his flames overall output." Freed answered in a carefully neutral tone.

"I was wondering why I haven't seen Natsu since I've been in here. Would you have any idea why, Freed?" Lucy asked in a calm, sweet voice.

"To prevent the noisier members from disturbing the patients in the infirmary, Laxus Sama asked me to place a rune barrier at the door and windows. Anyone who can't be quiet is unable to enter the infirmary. Makarov san and others require peaceful rest, so Laxus is making certain they do not get disturbed."

"I see."

Lucy bit her bottom lip as her mind raced. _'I should have known that Laxus wouldn't realize he's challenging Natsu to keep fighting with even more destructive power getting unleashed by blocking access to his closest friends, including me. Oh that man is so arrogant he makes me want to kick him! The wrong kinds of challenges won't work because they push Natsu to get even more destructive. If Laxus wants to bring Natsu's destruction levels down, he has to give Natsu a different kind of challenge. First the beastly man gets flirty, and then he plays a keep away game using me as bait to try and control Natsu. What is Laxus thinking? What is his game?' _

"Well, I don't see meditation or other non physical types of training working with Natsu because he can't stand being still and he isn't a deep thinker. Natsu is feral compared to you and me, Freed. His father figure is a literal dragon. Punishing Natsu for not understanding how to act will only push him into a corner and Natsu will fight harder then ever to be free of any type of constraints Laxus tries to put on him."

Freed frowned as he considered Lucy's words. "In other words, it's a hopeless cause to try and save him in your opinion."

Lucy huffed. "I didn't say that! Challenging Natsu the wrong way will end in disaster for this guild. I'm saying that Natsu will only cooperate so long as Laxus convinces him that his loyalty is deserved! The problem is Laxus lacks the patience to earn Natsu's trust and cooperation. If Natsu sees me as a hostage, it will be impossible to get anywhere with him outside of a needless fight."

"How would you go about challenging Natsu then, Lucy?"

"First, you have to understand that Natsu always overcomes more powerful enemies because they challenge him by trying to hurt his closest friends. Second, if you truly want to help Natsu, use his competitive nature to motivate him. Give Natsu reason to believe that learning new things like better control of his magic will result in his getting stronger so he can save everyone he loves. Third, get creative in the challenges you set for Natsu so he won't get bored. People challenge each other all the time when playing games. Making things a game where there are winners and losers is the right way to challenge Natsu if you want results. Natsu's competitive by nature, so make part of the criteria include proving that he can do a better job of curbing his destructive power than someone like Gray. Turn his training into a winnable competition and you've got a chance of turning Natsu's behavior around."

"Games end at some point, Lucy. And if we turn his training into a competition, Natsu will simply revert to his inexcusable behaviors the moment the game ends." Freed pointed out with a biting undertone.

Lucy shook her head. "Not necessarily true. I mentioned Gray for an important reason. Get them competing against each other, and they will tend to continue to be competitive. Teaching Natsu and Gray to control the destruction zones they produce will go faster, and be smoother so long as they are competing against each other. I can think of a couple others who are almost as competitive as Natsu and Gray who would likewise thrive on the competitive nature of such training if it is implemented correctly."

"Like who?" Freed asked.

"Gajeel, Elfman, Joey, Wan, and Erza are all as competitive as Natsu and Gray. So it is possible that any of them can be inspired to also take part in such a competition if prize is worthy of their participation I think."

"So, you're suggesting that we have a reward system in place to get Natsu and our other more destructive members to cooperate with their training regiment?"

"It would make it easier to get cooperation from the members. If participants get something like say an all they can eat meal once a month, or something similar as a prize for their efforts, it does tend to motivate people to put out real effort."

"Fair enough. I'll have to consider the best way to speak to Laxus Sama about this issue." Freed responded.

"I've gotten started on the list of ideas to raise funds to pay off the back owed fines. I've got the list right here if you are willing to give me some input on what Laxus might or might not accept, Freed." Lucy spoke while patting the journal page in hopes of changing the subject, and proving she was not a dead weight the way she feared Freed perceived her. By proving she was capable, perhaps Freed would be more willing to take her suggestions for working with Natsu to heart Lucy figured.

"Really? May I see what you've thought of so far?" Freed asked.

With a false grin, Lucy passed him the journal. As Freed read over her list, his posture shifted from tension to relaxation. "Some of these ideas are very good. The part time publically open beer hall doubling as a bar and grill idea is certainly novel. I'm not so sure it's the safest idea considering how rowdy things get in the beer hall. I notice you are thinking to use the souvenir's shop by adding a raffle feature. I can see the value of asking Cana to do readings as part of your proposed raffle project. Some of the ideas you have for potential auction items is also intriguing. But I'm not certain anyone can convince Gajeel Redox to use his metal magic to create items for auctions or raffles."

"It won't be easy perhaps, but I believe that Gajeel really does wish to be seen as a genuine member of our guild, Freed. With the right wording, I'm certain I can negotiate something with him so long as he can control his iron magic well enough to do refined and detailed work. If I wasn't stuck in this infirmary, I could get answers from everyone about what is and isn't possible for each of them to contribute."

"Reedus does love to paint, so I can see why you would ask him to donate his skills to an auction. A few of these items will take some outside help to make a reality though. Do you have any idea how to get that outside help for things like Gray's miniature ice sculptures encased in glass, or creating the other magical items you are considering as possible requested contributions from our members?"

"I do have someone in mind who is very well versed in many forms of magic. He was one of my tutors when I was a child. His name is Bero, and he is a genius who can explain the process in detail so we can form working teams capable of doing everything ourselves. He has stayed in touch with me, and I'm certain I can get all the information we need to insure everything will work perfectly. As far as the bar and grill idea, I was thinking Aed would be my best contact to find out how to go about creating a part time bar and grill."

"I notice you have skits, and magic demonstrations listed here also. How were you thinking to set those up, Lucy?" Freed asked with a small smile.

"Well if we can open the guild for the bar and grill idea three nights a week, we can have our guild mates put on short magic shows to entertain the guests. Those nights won't be hang out nights for everyone that's a guild member to insure the public's safety. The members will be the servers for the tables and the like. So if done correctly, I think it would be easy enough to sell tickets to the magic show with meals included as an alternative way to go about the same idea. One is a voluntary show given by our members if we do anyone comes in on open days bar and grill, while the other can be a type of higher end ticketed venue." Lucy explained the two versions she had conceived.

Freed nodded with a thoughtful look on his face. "I see your point. What about hall rentals? What do you mean by that exactly?"

"We have a rather large hall, so it would be beneficial to rent out the floor area for larger parties. We have a sound system in place, so we could easily set up the floor space for dances and other types of parties that need room. It would also work well for a multitude of events I'm sure. A number of hotels in this area could work with us to promote different types of conventions that would require more room than the hotels normally handle. If the room exists, then business groups who do not find it easy to travel to Crocus could possibly be persuaded to shift their business here. The main criteria is business owners can only do major business transactions if they have room for their meetings and wares to be displayed. We might even start a second, smaller, but no less vital Magic Tools convention where new magical implements could be displayed and demonstrated. We have people like yourself who can create safety barriers, among other needed safeguards. In the example of a Magical Implements convention, we also build up a good working relationship with the magic community to offset our more destructive reputation. It would take time to build such a convention, but it could also prove lucrative if handled properly. We could also build ourselves a positive reputation with other types of businesses by opening our hall for diverse types of smaller conventions. I recall my father always has complaints about certain types of recognition banquets he holds for his Railway line. Taking that into consideration, I'm sure smaller companies must also find it difficult to find room for their functions. If we handle security as a separate job, it also improves our guild's work ethic by enforcing specific rules during our members' guard duty shifts." Lucy explained.

Freed was nodding as he considered her words. "Your list of ideas seems to be moving some aspects of Fairy Tail more toward a business than a guild hall."

Lucy tapped her chin. "Maybe. Still, at this point, I'm simply making up a list of ideas, and I don't expect everything listed to work. The reason for ideas like conventions has to do with the Harvest Festival's popularity, and the number of people who come here from across Fiore to see the parade, and enjoy th yearly Harvest Festival. The Fantasia parade is a big contributor to Magnolia's prosperity each year. So I was thinking on terms of how that one Fairy Tail specific contribution positively impacts our city's well being. I'm open to other ideas for ways to positively impact our home and community."

"A very good point. For all that this year's festival included the Battle of Fairy Tail's Strongest test, we did still hold the parade, although it was a day late. Many people enjoyed our Guild's show. Perhaps the magic shows could be beneficial, if they are suggested as a means to make our members learn to control their magic long term. People like Natsu tend to go overboard and destroy far too much property, so demonstrations are dangerous the way things stand." Freed replied.

"I know Natsu's habit of destroying property better than any of you could possibly hope to understand. I hope Laxus keeps in mind that Natsu gets the most destructive when he feels he has to overcome a challenge to protect someone he cares about deeply." Lucy explained with a hard stare.

Freed's brows rose as he cleared his throat. "Perhaps. At the same time, Natsu and others with a similar lack of disciple are endangering our Guild's status. Laxus Sama saved us temporarily, and now he has to deliver on his promises, or we will get disbanded. Too much is riding on promoting safety first"

Lucy nodded and sighed. Freed had a valid point. Yet Lucy was concerned about how he wanted to go about getting results. "One of the reasons why a prize for being the least destructive among our more destructive mages would prove invaluable as a bribe to keep Natsu and the others working toward the correct goal. In Erza's case, a strawberry cake would be an excellent reward once a month. For Natsu, all he can eat fire chicken would probably be all you would need to get results. For someone like Gajeel, who always eats metal, perhaps some kind of higher grade iron would do the trick. I think Gray is the hardest one to reward because he's also the most complex. I'll have to think about it. Still, a reward system where you alternate the rewards given is one way to insure that the competition to not break things remains a force for good. In fact, making it a competition to not do damage and interact with the public within set ways could even prove beneficial once Gray and Natsu both overcome the initial hurdles facing them. Being able to create things for raffles and auctions alone would prove easier to complete with inexpensive rewards for the best magical work or the most easily reproduced and permeant gift idea. Perhaps there can be a unique gift set added to the raffles or auction's basic advertising scheme."

Freed sighed. "I'll pass your thoughts along to Laxus Sama. I doubt he will agree to some of your ideas, but a few should prove beneficial to begin implementing. Thank you for your time, Lucy. I need to finish my errands. I do hope you will feel better very soon."

With those words, Freed returned the journal to Lucy's hand and rose from the chair. Lucy smiled and nodded with a small wave of farewell. Without a backward glance Freed through the infirmary at a rapid clip to escape the room. Staring down at the page of ideas Lucy had already come up with to raise money, her mind began to wander into thoughts of how bad things would get if Laxus refused to try her advice. Lucy sincerely hoped Natsu and the others would try to work with Laxus if only for the sake of their Guild. If not, Lucy feared she would lose her home.

~~oo0oo~~


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I do not own Fairy Tail or make money off of this story. Thanks for the new faves, follows and reviews from everyone who are interested in this story. I will write alternate chapters with my Awaken the Stars Song story, so I will update as quick as I can, with alternating stories getting updated as fast as I can humanly manage. I doubt other chapters will be put together quite this fast, but it is a rehash of sorts for the second half. Two person pov separated by ==oo0oo== symbol

CHAPTER 8

Lucy was awoken by a furious, soft voices in the infirmary, several beds down from her. Rolling over, she realized that Gajeel was next to Master Makarov's bed, caught in a verbal fight with Porlyusica.

"I'm telling you I'm not leaving until I give my report to Master Makarov. He doesn't have to do anything but listen, you old biddy." Gajeel was growling at the angry healer.

"Sneaking in through a window doesn't qualify you to see my patient. You come back at a reasonable hour and I'll consider letting you say your peace, but not when everyone should be asleep in bed. Your report can wait because I don't doubt that it's going to upset Makarov and that's the last thing he needs. Now get out of this infirmary! Makarov needs rest, not some fool complaining about his grandson taking over the guild or whatever other whining you want to start doing!" Porlyusica hissed right back.

Wondering if she should get up and try to calm things, Lucy noticed Makarov rolling onto his side and waving his working hand at the pair of combatants. A gurgling sound caught their attention. Gajeel growled at Porlyusica as he stepped up and took Makarov hand. "I'm not here to whine about Laxus. All I'm here to do is give Master some good news. So back off, old woman."

The long haired mage hunkered down and spoke in a soft voice that Lucy could not quite hear. Yet Porlyusica's shocked expression was enough to tell Lucy that whatever it was it must have been important. Curiosity getting the better of her, Lucy slid out of her bed and crept closer to listen to what Gajeel was saying.

"He's aware that his son's running the guild and backed by the Magic Council for now. It might be hearing that you're ill that gave him the idea to try and kill Laxus to get the lacrima back to resell. Considering how much Ivan hates Fairy Tail, it could be that he's also trying to get the guild closed down at the same time by killing Laxus to retrieve the lacrima which would be a smart combination plan. Doesn't matter whether it's a multi-level plot or not to me, 'cause those bastards he sent aren't going to do shit since I've already deal with them. Your grandson's still safe, same as the guild for now, Makarov. I gave you my work I'd deal with anything that happens involving Ivan Dreyer's murder plots, and I am. Don't know how long I can keep this double agent game up now that I'm stopping his people, but I haven't got enough evidence to nail him over his illegal experiments and similar activities yet. I'll keep looking, and try to make sure Ivan thinks I'm his agent as long as I can."

Makarov nodded with a partial smile. Lucy felt as if her blood was turning to ice within her veins as Gajeel's report sank into her mind. Porlyusica was sitting on the foot of the bed, looking at her Lucy realized. With a lifted hand in supplication, Lucy pleaded for Porlyusica to let her presence remain unnoticed. With a glare, the old healer conceded her right to stay put and listen by staying silent.

"Also thought I should tell you, Laxus has Lucy working in the office with him. Seems he's talked Lahar into getting her the right clearance to do the full job. So you can rest easy about our guild, Master. She's a far better pick to run this guild than anyone else. I learned plenty about her when Phantom Lord was hired to take her from Fairy Tail by her father. Since then, I've done some more digging to figure out why she left her fancy home and wealth. Lucy's a damned fine business woman in her own right, and her father didn't appreciate that he has a real spit fire with as many brains as he's got, and then some. Can't say as I blame her for leaving when she got told she was being married off to some old man who would keep her as a trophy. Although the down side is Heartfilia Konzern has run into some issues so her father may try to get his hands on her soon. As long as she's doing paperwork, she will be safe enough for now. Unless Jude Heartfilia manages to bribe the Magic Council, Lucy won't be on jobs that leave her vulnerable to attack. I'm planning to insure she's safe when she's able to go home at night."

Porlyusica smacked Gajeel's shoulder. "Don't say such things. They'll disturb Makarov and make him worry about his members."

"The only reason I'm saying that is because I know that if anyone can turn things around for our Guild, it's gonna be Lucy Heartfilia. I'm letting Makarov know that I'll personally watch over her, the same as I'm watching over Laxus. She has the training to hard ball with the worst businessmen, and make iron clad contracts that can't be overridden as well as her father does. She won't lose in any kind of legal fight, not even a fight caused by Makarov's grandson's arrogance. I want Master to understand he can relax and leave the guild in her hands, where it's safest. Heartfilia's a business woman to her core with the knowledge this guild needs to make sure it stays in business for years to come. I know she'll get things under control once she gets out of this infirmary. Laxus won't be able to boss her around 'cause if he tries, she'll go around him and still get everything done right. The way I see things, Lucy Heartfilia might just be the perfect cure for Laxus' bad attitude. She is tough enough to dish out as good as she receives, and that means Laxus will be dealing with a woman capable of matching him since she's got experience in handling arrogant asses. Who knows? The way Lightning Rod drools over Lucy when he doesn't think anyone will notice, she's the one who can pull his head out of his ass if we leave Laxus to her." Gajeel growled at Porlyusica.

Although the voice was weak and the tone sounded strangled, Makarov began to chuckle, or so it sounded like to Lucy. The smile on his face seemed to get a little brighter, although still lopsided as his eyes met hers. The old pervert winked as he looked at her as if to say 'he's all yours to tame,' a sentiment Lucy did not wish to share. However, with Makarov so ill, Lucy smiled back and nodded in what she hoped was a confident enough gesture to assuage any fears Master Makarov might have about the guild's status.

"You're right about my making sure my home is taken care of, Gajeel. If I have to get hard and find every loophole that has ever existed in the laws to protect this guild, I'll find them and ram them down the Council's throat. I do know how the law works. I'll also get us out of debt with a little help from our members. I've got a number of ideas to raise enough funds to pay off our back owed fines. In fact, I'm hoping I can get your help with some of the fund raising projects I've been considering, Gajeel."

Gajeel uncoiled from his stooped position to face Lucy. "What kind of crap you want me to do?"

"I was wondering if your magic allows you to shape metals as well as turn your body into iron poles, if you don't mind my asking?" Lucy asked with a bland expression kept in place.

Stud encased brows plunged as Gajeel gave her a wary look. "I take it your hoping I can make things with my magic for some reason?"

Realizing she would get nowhere with Gajeel, even if he had given her a glowing recommendation moments before, Lucy took a bracing breath and decided to give the man a rough outline of her idea. "To raise the funds needed to keep the guild from being shut down, I was thinking about hosting a couple auctions and also run weekly raffles from our souvenir shop that will contain one of a kind items as the prize. I'm also hoping Cana will do readings for a raffle prize. So you aren't the only one I am hoping will be willing to help with the project, if you can shape external metals, or whatever it is you would be able to do to create small figurines or perhaps one of a kind theme variety serving sets, or whatever else would be within your magical abilities that is. I was thinking that a serving set made of iron with some kind of unusual design, perhaps the Fairy Tail guild mark, would go a long way toward getting people to purchase tickets, or come to the auction. I also plan to ask Reedus to donate a couple paintings for the auction."

"I'll think about it and get back with you on that." Gajeel grunted. "Gotta figure out what would be a good idea to make for something like that. I make my own furniture all the time so I can shape iron any way I want to shape it."

Lucy felt her eyes open wide. "You use your magic to make furniture?"

"Gihihihi, the look on your face is priceless, Bunny Girl!"

"Excuse me, but my name's Lucy, not bunny girl! Keep it up and I'll start calling you Scrap Metal in return! What's the deal with Fairy Tail men giving me ridiculous nicknames anyway?" Lucy vented as she stomped a foot for emphasis.

"Gihihihihihihihihi. The way you react makes it worthwhile. You never fail to give as good as you get. Bet it's the same reason you get called Blondie by that Lightning Rod all the time. Pissing you off is way too much fun to stop doing it." Gajeel reasoned as he wiped tears from his eyes. He dropped a large hand on the top of Lucy's head. "Don't ever change, Lucy. You're a spitfire and that's a good thing. I know how tough you are, and your spirit is the kind we men love to see. When we call you silly nicknames, consider it a compliment."

Lucy heaved a sigh and contained the desire to roll her eyes with difficulty. "Still think it's stupid to call me dumb things. Makes me think nobody's willing to take me seriously, especially Laxus. The man's so arrogant I wish I could strangle him!"

Gajeel shook his head. "Naw, strangling won't work. He'd just fry you once he got bored of having your little hands around his neck, if they'd even fit all the way around his neck. Gihihihi. Seriously though, Laxus is a genuine monster when it comes to his power. He's the real deal, Lucy, so don't do anything reckless that'll get you hurt. Don't let him intimidate you, but don't go butting heads if you can avoid it."

Lucy frowned as she wondered where the advice was coming from as she had never thought Gajeel wanted to be a friend. "Why would you care about whether or not Laxus and I fight? I don't understand you some times, Gajeel."

"You're the one I believe can turn things around for this guild in time. So do the job and get us out of trouble. I know you'll figure out how to handle Laxus in your own way. He's not a patient person, so you'll have to keep from blowing up at him and I know that's going to be hard on you. You don't know how to back down anymore than he does when you get pissed off. Stuff it when you're around him, and blow off steam when you leave for the night. A good run might help you get in some extra training, plus calm down. If you decide you want to learn how to beat the crap out of a punching bag, let me know. Flame Breath doesn't have the patience to teach you how to hit a bag correctly, and you can't afford broken knuckles right now."

Lucy nodded as Gajeel dropped his hand to his side and turned toward the open window. "I'll give you another update in a couple days, Master Makarov. Rest easy because plenty of us are willing to do what needs doing to save the Guild, and I'll make sure Laxus doesn't get caught flat footed and killed. Even the ones who are pissed off at Laxus will do their part, especially if Lucy asks them to cooperate. Everyone respects her and enjoys her smile to much to disappoint her. Most of us believe that she's the one who can convince Laxus to be reasonable when he needs to rethink things."

With those words, Gajeel headed toward the window, and in moments had vanished from sight. A look at Porlyusica told Lucy the old woman wanted her to go back to her bad for the night. With a nod, Lucy turned to go, but turned to check on Makarov once more before returning to bed.

Looking at the old man, Lucy did not miss the happy gleam in Makarov's eyes. "I'll do whatever I can to help Laxus save the guild, but you better get rid of that hopeful look in your eyes right now, Master. There's not a chance that I'll ever fall for your perverted, arrogant grandson because of the way he treats women. I'm dead serious. Me falling in love with a chauvinist pig will never happen. Besides, I'm saving myself for a man that respects me, and honestly loves me for myself. Once I get things fixed for our guild, I'm going back to normal guild status, and taking as many jobs as I can manage to stay away from your perverted, pig headed grandson. I mean it."

Satisfied that she had made her point, Lucy strolled back to her bed and climbed in. Flopping back onto the mattress, Lucy found her mind wandering over the report she heard Gajeel had give Makarov. She wondered if Laxus had any idea that someone was out to kill him. Things were already bad for Fairy Tail, and Gajeel's report made things sound even worse than Lucy had imagined. The softer part of Lucy's heart ached for Laxus being in such a horrible situation. Perhaps it was knowing about his life threatening situation which made Laxus act so vile? It was easier to prevent himself from caring if Laxus did know about the death threat hanging over his head Lucy reasoned. As her mind whirled with an internal monologue, Lucy found it difficult to go back to sleep.

==oo0oo==

Head aching, Laxus sat down the stylus he was using to write, and leaned back as he tried to rub the kinks out of his neck. His shoulders burned from the unfamiliar posture and constant writing required. "No fucking wonder Gramps ignores his paperwork. This is fucking hell!"

Realizing he was muttering to himself, Laxus pushed away from the desk and stood. Finding the clock, Laxus was disgusted by how little the stack of completed paperwork was compared to the rest of the stacks he had yet to get near. Working close to a fourteen hour day had only gotten a small dent accomplished in the mountains of paperwork. Eye exhaustion was not making it any easier for Laxus to handle the pounding rhythm now demanding his undivided attention.

The faster Lucy got back to typing, the faster this mess would get cleared out Laxus realized. As it was after ten, perhaps he could get something for his pounded headache from the grouchy old healer in the infirmary. It would be smart to check on his grandfather before going home to sleep Laxus reasoned as he strode to the door. Things should be calm enough he could cut a deal with the old bitch healer to release Lucy to sit at the second desk and do nothing more than type out forms. So long as Blondie was not lifting or doing anything stressful, including handling dusty files, the old woman could not possibly have any objections.

Turning down the hallway and walking up to the doorway to the infirmary, a masculine voice he could not quite place was talking which paused Laxus in his tracks. " . . . you're ill that gave him the idea to try and kill Laxus to get the lacrima back to resell. Considering how much Ivan hates Fairy Tail, it could be that he's also trying to get the guild closed down at the same time by killing Laxus to retrieve the lacrima which would be a smart combination plan. Doesn't matter whether it's a multi-level plot or not to me, 'cause those bastards he sent aren't going to do shit since I've already deal with them. Your grandson's still safe, same as the guild for now, Makarov. I gave you my work I'd deal with anything that happens involving Ivan Dreyer's murder plots, and I am. Don't know how long I can keep this double agent game up now that I'm stopping his people, but I haven't got enough evidence to nail him over his illegal experiments and similar activities yet. I'll keep looking, and try to make sure Ivan thinks I'm his agent as long as I can."

Registering what was being said, Laxus felt his eyes widen. Who was talking to his grandfather? Laxus was determined to find out as he crept into the infirmary making certain he concealed his presence. Seeing that Blondie was also out of bed and listening in on the conversation annoyed Laxus, but he did not want to alert anyone to his presence. Blondie was gesturing for the old woman to not give her away as her hands were up in supplication. The old healer was glaring but held her venom laced tongue for whatever reason. Using utmost caution Laxus looked around the edge of the obscuring curtain and realized it was Gajeel leaning down and talking to his grandfather.

As Laxus thought about what Gajeel was reporting, it made him livid. His grandfather had brought Gajeel into the guild to act as a double agent to spy on his father. It certainly explained a number of things that had not fit before Laxus overheard this new information. It also angered Laxus that his grandfather assumed he was too weak to take care of himself. As it was his life that was in danger, Laxus had the right to know about these murder plots as Gajeel called them. The fact that his father's name was mentioned did not go unnoticed by Laxus as he sought to keep his magic from escaping his control.

"Also thought I should tell you, Laxus has Lucy working in the office with him. Seems he's talked Lahar into getting her the right clearance to do the full job. So you can rest easy about our guild, Master. She's a far better pick to run this guild than anyone else. I learned plenty about her when Phantom Lord was hired to take her from Fairy Tail by her father. Since then, I've done some more digging to figure out why she left her fancy home and wealth. Lucy's a damned fine business woman in her own right, and her father didn't appreciate that he has a real spit fire with as many brains as he's got, and then some. Can't say as I blame her for leaving when she got told she was being married off to some old man who would keep her as a trophy. Although the down side is Heartfilia Konzern has run into some issues so her father may try to get his hands on her soon. As long as she's doing paperwork, she will be safe enough for now. Unless Jude Heartfilia manages to bribe the Magic Council, Lucy won't be on jobs that leave her vulnerable to attack. I'm planning to insure she's safe when she's able to go home at night." Gajeel continued, irritating Laxus further as the interloper should have reported this information to him instead of bothering his grandfather.

If Jude Heartfilia was going to prove troublesome, Laxus had to step up his own plans to make certain he kept all his necessary assets until he no longer required them, especially Blondie. The fact that Gajeel claimed that her father's empire was in trouble which required taking Lucy back did not sit well with Laxus any more than realizing Gajeel was ignoring the current chain of command and going to the wrong Fairy Tail Master. Makarov was in no shape to deal with Jude Heartfilia if he was plotting another attack to get Blondie back. The woman made it clear she wanted to remain at Fairy Tail, and Laxus had already spoken to the Sorcerer's Weekly reporter about her. For the moment, Lucy Heartfilia needed to remain a member of Fairy Tail because she was now a known member of the Guild.

As if the old healer knew he was present, and wanted to prevent Laxus from ripping Gajeel's head off in the middle of the infirmary, Porlyusica smacked Gajeel's shoulder. "Don't say such things. They'll disturb Makarov and make him worry about his members."

"The only reason I'm saying that is because I know that if anyone can turn things around for our Guild, it's gonna be Lucy Heartfilia. I'm letting Makarov know that I'll personally watch over her, the same as I'm watching over Laxus. She has the training to hard ball with the worst businessmen, and make iron clad contracts that can't be overridden as well as her father does. She won't lose in any kind of legal fight, not even a fight caused by Makarov's grandson's arrogance. I want Master to understand he can relax and leave the guild in her hands, where it's safest. Heartfilia's a business woman to her core with the knowledge this guild needs to make sure it stays in business for years to come. I know she'll get things under control once she gets out of this infirmary. Laxus won't be able to boss her around 'cause if he tries, she'll go around him and still get everything done right. The way I see things, Lucy Heartfilia might just be the perfect cure for Laxus' bad attitude. She is tough enough to dish out as good as she receives, and that means Laxus will be dealing with a woman capable of matching him since she's got experience in handling arrogant asses. Who knows? The way Lightning Rod drools over Lucy when he doesn't think anyone will notice, she's the one who can pull his head out of his ass if we leave Laxus to her." Gajeel was saying in a pissy, put upon tone that made Laxus' teeth grind.

The only person watching over Blondie was himself Laxus thought as he clenched his fists. Gajeel would not be allowed to continue ignoring the chain or command, nor act as Blondie's protector if Laxus had any say in the matter, which he did. The fact Gajeel was all but announcing that Blondie was his to protect only increased Laxus ire with the interloping Dragon Slayer. In a serious fight, Gajeel could not hope to win a fight in a one on one battle, and Laxus knew it. Useful as Blondie was, with her father plotting to abduct her, she needed someone strong enough to handle anything that could be thrown at her. Stepping outside of the guild was asking to get abducted if Jude Heartfilia was willing to hire more mages from other guilds to cause trouble. Laxus was aware that he was far more powerful than Gajeel, and that was why he would be Blondie's protector.

It did not go unnoticed that Gajeel was talking about Laxus' attraction to Blondie. The bastard was playing up that angle as if to get Blondie on board with trying to control him Laxus thought as he watched the woman cross her arms over her chest with a beet red face. From what Laxus could make out of her face, Blondie did not look as if she agreed. Still, Laxus knew better than to make too many assumptions about elite women. They were a different breed all together from the normal female population. It sounded as if his grandfather was trying chuckle as garbled, gurgling sounds reached Laxus ears.

Blondie smiled brightly and nodded as she started talking. "You're right about my making sure my home is taken care of, Gajeel. If I have to get hard and find every loophole that has ever existed in the laws to protect this guild, I'll find them and ram them down the Council's throat. I do know how the law works. I'll also get us out of debt with a little help from our members. I've got a number of ideas to raise enough funds to pay off our back owed fines. In fact, I'm hoping I can get your help with some of the fund raising projects I've been considering, Gajeel."

Gajeel stood erect and turned to face Blondie with a sour expression. "What kind of crap you want me to do?"

"I was wondering if your magic allows you to shape metals as well as turn your body into iron poles, if you don't mind my asking?" Blondie asked him.

"I take it your hoping I can make things with my magic for some reason?" Gajeel's tone and scowl implied he was not happy with the change in subject.

The way Blondie's chest visibly rose and the sound of a soft huff of air escaping her, Laxus knew the woman was containing her own volatile temper. "To raise the funds needed to keep the guild from being shut down, I was thinking about hosting a couple auctions and also run weekly raffles from our souvenir shop that will contain one of a kind items as the prize. I'm also hoping Cana will do readings for a raffle prize. So you aren't the only one I am hoping will be willing to help with the project, if you can shape external metals, or whatever it is you would be able to do to create small figurines or perhaps one of a kind theme variety serving sets, or whatever else would be within your magical abilities that is. I was thinking that a serving set made of iron with some kind of unusual design, perhaps the Fairy Tail guild mark, would go a long way toward getting people to purchase tickets, or come to the auction. I also plan to ask Reedus to donate a couple paintings for the auction."

"I'll think about it and get back with you on that. Gotta figure out what would be a good idea to make for something like that. I make my own furniture all the time so I can shape iron any way I want to shape it."

"You use your magic to make furniture?" The awe edged shock in Blondie's voice fed Laxus temper a healthy dose of fuel.

"Gihihihi, the look on your face is priceless, Bunny Girl!" Laxus did not miss the undercurrents in Gajeel's voice as he laughed at Blondie's reaction.

It seemed Gajeel also enjoyed teasing Blondie to see her reactions. The young woman was indeed fun to harass as Laxus knew all too well from watching her antics since she first joined the guild. Overall, Blondie had a sweet disposition, but once she got annoyed, she could be quite fierce. Catching her off guard while giving her mild heckles like a detested nickname however, garnered the most amusing and childish reactions from the small woman. Yet Laxus also realized that he did not like the reality of another man being enamored of her more adorable, if somewhat childish traits.

"Excuse me, but my name's Lucy, not bunny girl! Keep it up and I'll start calling you Scrap Metal in return! What's the deal with Fairy Tail men giving me ridiculous nicknames anyway?" A tiny foot stomped on the wooden floor as Blondie fell into petulant pouting mode which meant Gajeel had said the wrong thing, or so Laxus hoped.

It was amusing that Blondie was threatening a much stronger mage with her own nickname. Scrap Metal was a great one to give the Iron Dragon Slayer Laxus personally thought as he suppressed the laugh that sought to bubble up, despite how angry he was with this whole clandestine meeting happening in his guild's infirmary of all places.

"Gihihihihihihihihi. The way you react makes it worthwhile. You never fail to give as good as you get. Bet it's the same reason you get called Blondie by that Lightning Rod all the time. Pissing you off is way too much fun to stop doing it. Don't ever change, Lucy. You're a spitfire and that's a good thing. I know how tough you are, and your spirit is the kind we men love to see. When we call you silly nicknames, consider it a compliment." The long haired freak was wiping laughter tears from his eyes as he spoke.

To make things worse, Gajeel had plopped a hand on the top of Blondie's head while speaking. Whether it was intended to be a platonic, even brotherly action, or something else entirely did not matter. Laxus found himself silently bristling that Gajeel was touching Blondie at all. It was the compliment given as the large hand came to rest on the top of her head that bothered Laxus most about their change in conversation. Laxus wanted to be the only one enjoying the flash of light that glowed in Blondie's eyes when he riled her up by calling her Blondie. The passionate nature of the woman was hard to miss when she was protesting her nickname. The thought triggered an uncomfortable sensation in his guts that Laxus did not want to comprehend as he clamped down yet again on his seething anger. Keeping a lid on his emotions was getting harder with everything he heard, and Laxus was not willing to interfere in case there was more important information he needed to know.

Another exasperated sounding huff escaped Blondie's lips as she talked back yet again. "Still think it's stupid to call me dumb things. Makes me think nobody's willing to take me seriously, especially Laxus. The man's so arrogant I wish I could strangle him!"

Gajeel shook his head. "Naw, strangling won't work. He'd just fry you once he got bored of having your little hands around his neck, if they'd even fit all the way around his neck. Gihihihi. Seriously though, Laxus is a genuine monster when it comes to his power. He's the real deal, Lucy, so don't do anything reckless that'll get you hurt. Don't let him intimidate you, but don't go butting heads if you can avoid it."

It was an unexpected concession Laxus had not expected to hear from Gajeel of all people. The acknowledgement of his superior strength, even if phrased in terms of his being monster somewhat appeased Laxus marginally. Yet it also annoyed Laxus that Gajeel was warning Blondie away from him in an underhanded way. What was Gajeel's game? Was he interested in screwing Lucy Heartfilia also?

"Why would you care about whether or not Laxus and I fight? I don't understand you some times, Gajeel." Blondie demanded in a huffy tone that dared Gajeel to ignore her question.

"You're the one I believe can turn things around for this guild in time. So do the job and get us out of trouble. I know you'll figure out how to handle Laxus in your own way. He's not a patient person, so you'll have to keep from blowing up at him and I know that's going to be hard on you. You don't know how to back down anymore than he does when you get pissed off. Stuff it when you're around him, and blow off steam when you leave for the night. A good run might help you get in some extra training, plus calm down. If you decide you want to learn how to beat the crap out of a punching bag, let me know. Flame Breath doesn't have the patience to teach you how to hit a bag correctly, and you can't afford broken knuckles right now."

Blondie was nodding with an expression that Laxus had seen younger sisters give to their older brothers many times as Gajeel dropped his hand to his side and turned toward the open window. At least it seemed Blondie was unaware of any possible attraction Gajeel might have for her. She seemed to believe she had gotten adopted as a kid sister by the Dragon Slayer if her expression could be trusted. Then again, Laxus could not fathom looking at a body that delightful and trying to see the woman as anything but one hundred percent grade A sex kitten material. If Gajeel was able to see Blondie as a sister, something was seriously off in the tin can's skull Laxus privately decided. So unless Gajeel was angling to get Blondie to himself using such a tactic, Laxus found the behavior very odd.

As Laxus watched Gajeel pause next to Makarov's bed to speak, he wondered what else was at stake. "I'll give you another update in a couple days, Master Makarov. Rest easy because plenty of us are willing to do what needs doing to save the Guild, and I'll make sure Laxus doesn't get caught flat footed and killed. Even the ones who are pissed off at Laxus will do their part, especially if Lucy asks them to cooperate. Everyone respects her and enjoys her smile to much to disappoint her. Most of us believe that she's the one who can convince Laxus to be reasonable when he needs to rethink things."

Rolling his eyes, Laxus wondered what insanity had infested Gajeel's brains. Nobody would change the course Laxus had chosen to pursue. Getting what he wanted was Laxus specialty and that included controlling Fairy Tail. Not even the sexy bit of high society flaunting her gorgeous body in his face was going to change Laxus plans. Blondie was going to do what Laxus wished for her to do and that was the end of her say in anything. The fact anyone dared to claim Blondie would be a better Guild Master than himself was grounds for an ass beating as far as Laxus was concerned. If he caught Blondie eroding his authority Laxus vowed in his mind that he would personally make her regret it.

As Laxus focused on the room he noticed Gajeel was gone. Porlyusica nodded her head for Blondie to go back to her own bed. Before complying Blondie looked at Laxus grandfather and planted her hands on her hips. "I'll do whatever I can to help Laxus save the guild, but you better get rid of that hopeful look in your eyes right now, Master. There's not a chance that I'll ever fall for your perverted, arrogant grandson because of the way he treats women. I'm dead serious. Me falling in love with a chauvinist pig will never happen. Besides, I'm saving myself for a man that respects me, and honestly loves me for myself. Once I get things fixed for our guild, I'm going back to normal guild status, and taking as many jobs as I can manage to stay away from your perverted, pig headed grandson. I mean it."

Satisfied with her final outburst, Blondie strolled back to her bed with all the haughty majesty of a royal. The illusion was ruined when Blondie flopped onto the mattress with all the aplomb of a spoiled child. Yanking the covers up onto her formless shift, the young woman obviously intended to return to sleep.

Laxus eyes narrowed on the small woman's silhouette outlined on the infirmary bed. The woman only thought she could avoid spending time with him, Laxus reassured himself. He could feel a thrum of excitement tugging his lips upward into a smirk. It had not escaped Laxus notice that Lucy Heartfilia was not immune to him. All Laxus had to do was play his cards right and he would have Blondie doing everything he wanted her to do in no time. Laxus had every reason to believe he could deal with her rich father, and get his hands on the very seductive woman long enough to break the strange spell she seemed to cast over his libido. A few times in his bed would no doubt rid Laxus of his current fixation with Blondie's hot body. It always worked in the past, so Laxus was certain he could get rid of this unwanted attraction easy enough. All he had to do was find the key to acquiring Blondie's consent, which was probably going for the exact same price as every other wealthy woman's required services.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I do not own Fairy Tail or make money from this story. Thanks for every new fave, follow, and review to date. The numbers of follows for this particular story has boggled my mind. I've never had so many people like anything I have written so much. I also really appreciate every drop of feedback I've received for this tale. It helps me to see where I need to make things clearer when I forget minor details the story needs. [reading a letter]

CHAPTER 9

Hoping to shake off the deadening nasal effects of Porlyusica's trade, Laxus stepped outside while reminding himself to be glad for the short term discomfort the infirmary's heavy laden medical smell caused his nose. If not for the inability to sift through distinctive scents because of the rancid herbal concoctions the old biddy made, Gajeel would have noticed Laxus' presence. With that thought in mind, Laxus strode away from the guild while inhaling deeply of the fresh outdoor air to rid his clogged snout of the cloying medicinal herbs still overwhelming his sinuses. Unable to comprehend how the old biddy withstood her ingredients' sharp, pungent, and somewhat nose burning variety of acrid scents sidetracked Laxus mind for several moments as he began to notice more subtle odors from being outdoors with each cleansing breath he took.

Had the other Dragon Slayer smelled him, Gajeel would have kept his mouth shut about what he was doing for Laxus' grandfather, and Laxus would still be ignorant of what was happening under his own nose. Recalling the report Gajeel had given his grandfather, rage surfaced yet again to focus Laxus on his new mission to get answers. Fueled by burning anger, Laxus long legs ate away the distance to their shared home as Laxus wondered how long his grandfather been actively spying upon his father since he had excommunicated Ivan from Fairy Tail.

Steeling his resolve, Laxus had every intention of invading his grandfather's bedroom to find those boxes and read everything locked inside them because he knew that would be where Makarov had stashed everything involving Ivan's where-abouts and activities. Knowing his grandfather so well, Laxus had a very good idea where the locked correspondence boxes Makarov kept within his bedroom would be hidden.

Having secured the guild's main key ring due to Makarov's medical crisis, Laxus knew that he would be able to unlock the boxes once he pulled them from their hiding place. The guild key ring was where his grandfather habitually kept all of his personal keys. As the acting guild Master, Laxus was now carrying the same key ring. Once he knew more about what was at stake, and verified whether or not his father was indeed out to kill him, Laxus would decide how to proceed. Until he knew for certain what was going on, and could determine why his grandfather believed his father wanted him dead, Laxus was going to keep his own mouth shut about what he overheard.

As Laxus reached the entryway to his apartment complex, the image of Gajeel's hand on top of Blondie's head resurfaced to mock him. Only two months before, Gajeel had almost beaten Lucy to death according to the reports Laxus had gotten from various guild members. It had been fortunate that Natsu's obscenely destructive nature had ended with Blondie's torte session ending in time. To see the woman stand there in nothing but an infirmary gown and let her abuser rest his hand on her head made no sense to Laxus considering all he had heard about the brutal beating she had survived.

Shaking off the image and thrusting the confusing thoughts out of his mind, Laxus went upstairs to his front door and let himself into his and his grandfather's home. Hanging his coat on the coat wrack, Laxus slipped out of his shoes and settled them into their spot. Heading through the living room with renewed purpose, Laxus walked to the end of the hall and opened his grandfather's bedroom door. It took five minutes to find the false wall in his grandfather's antique mahogany chifferobe, insert the correct key, and pull the two strong boxes out of the closet section.

Stomping back into the living room, Laxus settled onto the couch and worked with the remaining keys to unlock the first box. In the royal blue one, Laxus found very old letters, correspondences from his grandmother that Laxus was quick to set aside. A worn leather pouch that felt as if it had some jewelry inside was also set onto the coffee table as Laxus continued to search through the box for clues as to what his grandfather was up to. Taking a trip down memory lane was of no interest to Laxus because he was too angry to care about a grandmother's sappy love letters since he never knew her. All Laxus cared about was uncovering what his grandfather and father were doing behind his back. Old, faded pictures of Makarov, Laxus' black haired grandmother, and Ivan when he was a young child were quickly returned to the blue lacquered box which Laxus locked before sitting it aside.

Turning his attention to the longer, black lacquered strong box, Laxus shook off his disappointment and tried different keys until he was able to insert the right one into the lock and hear the music of tumblers moving with a tiny, satisfying click. Lifting the lid, the first thing Laxus saw was the Magic Council's wax seals stamped upon numerous envelopes. A sense of glee surged as Laxus congratulated himself. Taking the large number of documents from the box so they would remain in their correct order as he read through everything, Laxus was stunned to see pictures of human mutilations glaring up at him from the bottom of the black box.

Alarm rippled along Laxus spine as he carefully pulled each grotesque image from the box, stomach churning with each new image uncovered. Each photograph featured a corpse of a pubescent aged girl or boy who had been bound and gagged. Their expressions spoke of nightmarish agony as they died. Magical circles were engraved on the floor around each precisely mutilated body. The images bore testament to each murder having been committed by a powerful mage. From the way each body was cut open, it seemed as if the mage was obsessed with something very specific about human anatomy was Laxus conclusion as he grimaced over the pictures. Some had their chests ripped open and their ribs had been precisely sawed open to expose their organs. Three victims had their skulls precision sawed to remove a wedge shaped segment of bone from the top of their head down to the base of their nose and back to where their ear should have been for the purpose of exposing the front of their brain. Each of those victims had that portion of their face and eye missing. Placing the photos back in the box, Laxus released a shuddering breath. For whatever reason, his grandfather was holding onto some truly horrific pictures. The why of his grandfather keeping such pictures eluded Laxus as he shook his head to clear it of the disturbing, and lingering images dancing behind his eyes.

With a cleansing breath, Laxus turned his attention back to the council envelopes. The envelopes were in fairly close order to the time they had been received. Among the stack of letters was a file folder that looked like it belonged in the Fairy Tail members cabinet. Pulling it from the envelopes, Laxus realized it was his father's guild membership file. Sorting it out from the letters, Laxus furrowed his brow as his thoughts whirled. Why would his grandfather place Ivan's guild file with the gory pictures and the Magic Council letters? Why would his grandfather add so many gruesome pictures that pointed to a mass murderer in the same box as his father's guild file? What possible link could his father have to the teenaged victims in those grotesque pictures? If Ivan were a brutal killer, Laxus was fairly certain he would have noticed something growing up. Although Ivan was a harsh parent after Laxus mother died, it was not possible that his father was capable of committing such unthinkable mutilations as far as Laxus was concerned.

The Council stamped letters were sorted by dates, so Laxus decided to read the first of the newer correspondences to clear his mind of the photographs contents, and see if there were any mentions of his father's name.

Skimming the formalities of letter head and salutations, Laxus began to read the actual letter itself.

[Maky, my dear friend, It brings me great sorrow to be the one to write you this letter. We all thought that Laxus would be safe once Bellona vanished, but we have had a rash of the same medical experiment victims that Ivan turned over to the Council go missing of late. Please be careful and watch over your grandson.

We never captured the Master of Medusa's Lair. Now it seems she has returned to begin finalizing all those brutal magical experiments she started thirty years ago. Although we could never fully link Ivan to her, beyond his part in turning over implanted youths to our care, and saying Bellona got away, you and I both know Bellona changed Ivan when he was helping solve the original case.

The proof we found, that makes their suspected alliance plausible, was Ivan implanting a stolen dragon lacrima into Laxus two years after the case was closed. We could never prove his ties to that horrible woman beyond his knowledge of correctly implanting Dragon magic Lacrima that should have been handed over to this Council when Ivan handed over the still living victims. It was the building evidence that Ivan knew Bellona that forced you to excommunicate your son, Maky. You were alerted to Ivan's meetings with Bellona, and it was you who caught Ivan with her. He allowed Bellona to escape again, but no matter what he claimed, the fact he was meeting with that black snake was the last straw for this Council. Please keep that in mind, because I can assure you that Org still believes as much and blames you now that Bellona's vicious guild is going active again.

One last thing before I go. Rumors are reaching our ears that Ivan is recruiting mages for an unknown reason. I am not certain how you will take the news, but some think Ivan is recruiting mages for Medusa's Lair specifically, or perhaps he has decided to create his own guild. Perhaps he is no longer blinded by Bellona's bewitching looks and has changed, but I cannot help but give you fair warning. Org is already arguing that Ivan is insane and creating a dark guild so be cautious if you have to visit our headquarters soon. Org deeply despises Fairy Tail so will use anything at his disposal, including the human lacrima experiments incident involving Ivan to disband Fairy Tail, Maky.

For now, all I can say is that Belno and I can only hope that Ivan has somehow recovered from Bellona's hold over him when Laxus was a young child. If I learn anything about that black hearted snake that seduced Ivan into becoming a dark mage I will be sure to contact you, Maky. Please protect your grandson in the meantime. I would hate to see him butchered to reclaim that dragon lacrima residing in his body for the Bosco Black Market.

Your friend always, Yajima.]

Feeling numb over what he had read, Laxus ran his hand down his face and ended up grasping his jaw. Slowly setting the letter upon the coffee table, Laxus clearly saw the photos in his mind's eye. Having never been told the reason his father was excommunicated had always bothered Laxus. It stunned Laxus to see that his grandfather had made a point of trying to bury something so disturbing that his father seemed to have been involved with at one point. The fact that Ivan was assumed to be involved in a new wave of similar murders did not sit well with Laxus' conscience.

Hoping that the other letters might hold other types of information, Laxus firmed his jaw, stuffed the first letter back in its envelope and grabbed another from the newer aged stack.

[Salutations, Guild Master Makarov,

I am writing to inform you that you need to keep a close watch over your grandson's whereabouts at all times. A dark guild was recently shut down by our Rune Knights division. A basement compound was discovered where newly lacrima implanted young adults were being held within cells. In the makeshift medical room that was also discovered, the same exact magic circle used to slaughter original lacrima implanted youths thirty years ago was engraved in the floor.

As I am aware of your grandson's unique position as another survivor of the original experiments, it is only fair that I inform you that recently missing original survivors of the Lacrima experiments were discovered in a shallow grave, their implants removed. Lahar has turned over notes that describe the implanted lacrima's evolutionary phases, and optimum times to remove them. Among the notes are resale values which seem to be triple the base rate once they are mature.

For the moment we see nothing that links Ivan Dreyer to this new rash of Lacrima experiments and murders, but Ivan did begin to show symptoms of psychosis after his initial contact with Bellona during his undercover work for our Council thirty years ago. Please be advised that we will hold you responsible if you do not protect your grandson. Laxus Dreyer's dragon magic lacrima was originally stolen from this Council, as you well know, Makarov. Please insure that it does not go missing.

Best Regards, Gran Doma Chairman of the Magic Council]

Anger seared through Laxus as he realized that his grandfather was still trying to shield him because of the lacrima that made him so powerful in the first place. Skimming over other letters, the pattern became far too obvious as to why his father Ivan was excommunicated. Even among the oldest letters, after Ivan was requested to infiltrate the Medusa's Lair group and unravel the original case of serial murders, the trouble continued to escalate. It did not take Laxus long to see that his grandfather had replied to the letters based upon comments made in responses.

Memories of several things his father had said when Laxus was a child began to surface as he continued to comb through the contents of the second box. Memories of his father muttering about seeing his delightful lady once the weakling was asleep stood out among the numerous things that were resurfacing to lend increasing weight to every document Laxus read. It seemed that his grandfather realized far more about Ivan than Laxus ever dreamed his grand-sire would ever notice about anyone. The knowledge began to bother Laxus as he delved ever deeper into the truth. The biggest question Laxus had was why his grandfather had done nothing to stop Ivan once he began to suspect Ivan was playing double agent to help the dark guild instead of Fairy Tail and the Magic Council. It would have been safer had Makarov handed Ivan over to the Rune Knights and gotten him locked away as far as Laxus could tell as he put the pieces together with each piece of parchment he read.

The hefty stack of letters and legal documents made Makarov's ongoing nightmare, due to Laxus being alive, and Ivan roaming around abundantly clear. The nightmarish truth contained in the strong box made increasing sense of Laxus own memories of his parent as a youth. The clearest truth was that Ivan was excommunicated for having kept one of the ultra rare lacrimas originally stolen from the Magic Council to implant in Laxus body for a later harvesting period. The same gem that gave Laxus all the vast power he had learned to control remained a favorite source for ongoing Council member threats leveled at Makarov at every turn.

By the time Laxus completed reading everything, he was filled with near rabid disgust. The gem could not be removed without killing him, and Laxus was not about to die without putting up a vicious fight worthy of a Dragon Slayer. Considering the situation, Laxus decided to bend his stubborn will toward a new goal; living to enjoy a very ripe old age with great grand children of his own. It was the least he could do to stick it to the Magic Council after reading about how much of a fight his grandfather had given Chairman Gran Doma to keep Laxus' freedom intact for close to a decade.

To mature a lacrima meant making sure the stone synchronized with the living organism that contained it. In synchronizing with his body, the lacrima had altered Laxus body to be dependent upon the same cursed gem in order to continue functioning properly. Whenever Laxus died, the gem was legally required to be removed from his corpse and returned to the Council's control without fail according to the legal documents Laxus also discovered. One of the documents was a legally binding contract for his grandfather to retain custody over Laxus right after he was first implanted with the lacrima. According to the document, Makarov's death would cause serious problems for Laxus, unless he could find a way to convince the Council that he needed to be left with his freedom for their collective benefit.

The need to devise a plan for keeping himself free of the Magic Council's grasp was going to become necessary in the near future. Laxus felt that bringing Fairy Tail into the Magic Council's good graces would go a long way to insuring he succeeded in making a good enough impression to remain in power at the guild. If Laxus could clean up the guild's reputation, the Council had fewer excuses to use against him, or Makarov. Now that Laxus had evidence of how underhanded the Magic Council could get, he would make certain to remove any soft spots that could be exploited by the Council, including his lacrima's existence. Freed's ability to read multiple languages was needed as Laxus wanted additional research done into the subject of how to deal with the new information in a discreet enough way that the Council would not have any grounds to cause further strife.

Three recommendation letters urging Makarov to find Gajeel Redfox, and offer him a place in Fairy Tail were also uncovered as Laxus worked his way through the stacks. Seeing the information contained in all three letters startled Laxus almost as much as his father's suspected ongoing affair with a known serial killer since he was a child. To discover that Gajeel was highly regarded as a spy by the Magic Council shook Laxus more than he wanted to admit. Being told that Gajeel was regularly entrusted to uncover Dark Guild plots was not the kind of information that Laxus wanted to know. The fact Lahar had gotten an arrest warrant for Redox made no sense if the man was trusted so much by the Magic Council. Makarov's councilman friend advised that Gajeel was best suited to finding out Ivan's whereabouts, and whether or not he was again romantically, or profit wise, involved with Bellona's group again. The Iron Dragon Slayer must have taken great pains to develop the kind of network needed to even do the kind of work these letters hinted at without actively acknowledging the actual missions Redox had already undertaken, and completed.

The fact his grandfather never said a word to Laxus about the ongoing battle waged to protect him from the Magic Council's grasp for most of Laxus lifespan spoke volumes. Any other man would have turned over their rebellious teenaged grandchild, who they were suddenly trapped raising with little warning and too many problems attached, to the Magic Council long ago. Anyone else would have thrown these damning letters in the ungrateful brat's face to make them aware of how much they owed their staunchest protector. Yet Laxus had not once had any hint of how difficult things had become for his grandfather once his father implanted the lacrima inside him. Even after Laxus was legally old enough to fend for himself, his grandfather continued to be his shield by using his position as a Wizard Saint as a bartering chip that could not be ignored.

Returning everything to the state in which he had found it, Laxus shut the black box and locked it. An ember of remorse for how he had treated Makarov began to stir within Laxus as he concentrated upon everything he had learned. Furious with his grandfather for not telling him the truth warred with awe over the lengths his grandfather had gone to preserve Laxus freedom without a single complaint. A dramatic shift in his emotions began to stir toward his father, Ivan. Had Laxus known what Ivan had done, Laxus never would have said a fraction of the things he had said to the old man laying in the infirmary at the guild hall.

Fingers drumming on the coffee table, Laxus glared at the black lacquered strong box trying to decide how best to counteract the new information. The Magic Council was certainly not looking to befriend Laxus if these letters were any indication of their true sentiments. At the same time, Laxus could use the information to his, and the guild's benefit. Despite his dislike of Gajeel, Laxus knew it was beneficial to earn the man's trust and loyalty, as it appeared his grandfather had already done.

Thinking about the wealth of information the Magic Council believed Redfox was capable of gathering nagged the previous conversation Laxus had overheard that evening to the surface. The things that the ex Phantom member said about Blondie refocused as Laxus rethought the information. Heartfilia was considered a fine business woman in her own right, and Gajeel even vouched for her ability to run the business matters of the guild effectively. The man complimented Blondie with a very confident, even cocky tone.

Gajeel's comment about Heartfilia's father having difficulties with the massive railroad business they owned due to her being a run away was what Laxus began focusing upon as he went to get himself a much needed drink. It appeared that Blondie was a trouble magnet that Laxus had to deal with one way or another if Gajeel's report was accurate. Heartfilia's father was going to try and reclaim his daughter anyway he could, and would go so far as to bribe the Council to get her back to save face. Willingness to bribe authorities was a criminal activity as far as Laxus knew, but if he could stay on top of who got bribed, it gave Laxus a better chance of forcing whomever was willing to accept bribes into his debt for keeping such information private.

As Gajeel had pointed out, so long as Blondie was doing paperwork and working inside the Guild, she was relatively safe. However, once she was well enough to return home, the situation would change dramatically. It would be easy to grab her in her home. Or would it be easy? Laxus had heard Blondie complain about Natsu coming over uninvited to stay at her place without an invitation. From what Laxus had gathered of the woman's complaints, Natsu went so far as to climb into bed with her after she went to sleep for the night. If Natsu was intent upon staking his claim to Blondie, it did offer a decent barrier to anyone kidnapping her to return to her father.

It also increased Blondie's resistance to Laxus own plans for the sexy little socialite if Natsu got too close to her. It would be easy enough to have Freed put runes around Blondie's place to insure that nobody, including Natsu, could enter without Blondie's explicit consent if nothing else. A devious smirk flitted across Laxus face as he knocked a scotch back and poured a second shot in the snifter glass. Considering how annoyed Blondie sounded about Natsu's bad manners, it might even gain Laxus additional good will from the woman. Considering how great Gajeel thought she was when it came to business matters, Laxus could put his new secretary to the test and see if she had what it took to be the guild's second in charge.

Not only would that relieve Laxus of a lot of dull paperwork to put the sassy woman in charge of the boring details, but it also gave Blondie a reason to feel she was trusted. No woman could resist a man who looked out for their well being, at least none that Laxus had ever met. Setting the glass down once he finished off the second shot of scotch, Laxus took a deep breath and chuckled lightly. Everything would work out in Laxus favor so long as he placed his cards in the proper order. Feeling less distressed than he had, Laxus headed toward the bathroom to grab a shower and get some much needed rest.

~~oo0oo~~


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Still don't own the cannons or make money off of this story. Having surpassed 100 story alerts for so few chapters posted is an amazing mile stone to me. For that, I thank everyone who likes this story. Thank you so much for all the unexpected support. It is an honor to continue writing this story for everyone. Keeps me motivated to find time with my weird schedule shifting real world mayhem. :) Please tolerate my unstable real world situation as I do post updates quick as I can manage. Did a lot of psychoanalysis to figure out the underpinnings of Laxus' rebellious phase, and have got an idea of why Laxus changed so dramatically. Enjoy this raw draft explosion of one of Laxus big pet peeves.

CHAPTER 10

As Laxus headed toward the guild, his mind was turning over the possibilities of how to proceed now that he had genuine information, gained the previous night by breaking into his grandfather's bedroom. Anger driven images of all the needless hell Laxus had survived swarmed like livid hornets through his mind as the guild hall came into sight. Determination flowed through Laxus veins, bordering upon igniting his magic. Intent on getting Freed to look up additional pertinent information, Laxus carried the black lacquered box under his arm. Although it was hidden under his coat, Laxus had every intention of using it to augment his ever increasing anger with Makarov's dangerous meddling.

Confronting his grandfather was the second step to setting desperately needed long term change into motion. It was not as if Laxus actually had to hear his grandfather's side of things now that he had solid evidence of how deeply his grandfather's lack of trust ran. With so much tangible evidence in his hands, Laxus felt justified in throwing everything bothering him in his grandfather's face. The physical evidence contained in the box was enough validation to proceed as Laxus saw fit, and nothing was going to stop him from turning the tables now that he knew the cause of so much misery he suffered for so long. Before he was done with his grandfather, Makarov was going to realize that all the secrets kept for so long had destroyed Laxus placing his trust where it was not deserved.

The first step had been wresting Fairy Tail from Makarov's hold, even if it was temporary at the moment. Now that he was in the position of power required, Laxus could access the complete truth still missing from the black box under his arm. Putting their long overdue confrontation off any longer was unnecessary. His life was still getting threatened, and so many odd and seemingly random attacks now made perfect sense to Laxus, after reading the documents.

Realizing that the truth far better equipped Laxus and his team to understand such attacks, his anger burned far hotter over being denied the simple respect of the truth. Discovering the underhanded deal his grandfather had made to keep him out of prison did nothing to settle Laxus mind. Coupled with his father's disgusting mistress, Laxus had to weigh the possibility of the Magic Council having a hand in some of the sneak attacks Laxus had broken along the way to becoming the man he was now.

The lack of faith his grandfather had in him, yet gave Redfox, a Phantom Lord reject, was a wound that cut so deeply into Laxus pride that he would never recover from the blow. The biggest and sharpest cut was finding proof of Laxus long held suspicion that his grandfather would never believe he could handle the truth about his father's descent into darkness. Much as Laxus had resented his father's brutal training schedule, he had believed it was his father's messed up way to help him get strong enough to take care of himself. Not knowing about his father's desire to make him strong so he could slaughter his own son for a profit had effectively blinded Laxus to the real danger Ivan posed for all of Fairy Tail. The only question Laxus had at the moment was whether or not Ivan had planned to steal and use additional lacrima on other guild mates. Had Ivan gotten caught targeting one of the orphans that had swollen Fairy Tail's ranks during that time? Some of the things Makarov said about Ivan being a threat to the guild made sense now that Laxus knew about what his father had actually done to get excommunicated.

Either way, the contents of the black box should have been revealed once he became an S class Mage in his own right as far as Laxus was concerned. Before he had earned S class status, Makarov had to keep the information concealed. The case contained SS ranked material. With a sickening twist of his stomach, Laxus realized that his own existence was an S ranked classification to the Magic Council's way of viewing such things. However, despite the classification that the information deserved, Ivan's treachery was one subject that Laxus believed he had every right to know about since it was still threatening his life.

Shoving the door open, Laxus was quick to note that Freed and Evergreen were already in the beer hall. Mirajane was behind the counter, cleaning glasses and getting ready to start her work day. Although Laxus saw no sign of Bickslow, he did not doubt that the Seith Mage would arrive within a few minutes.

Shoving the container at Freed, Laxus spoke in a soft voice. "I need you to look over the contents of this strong box and take notes in my old office with the door closed and runes blocking people from entering so you won't be disturbed. You will be doing outside research on the contents. Nobody is to know about the contents, unless I say otherwise. Cancel your portion of the training program for the day, or have Bicks do the session solo. Evergreen can help you sort through the contents, but keep them in order. I'd rather Bicks stick to the normal program as best as he can for our chronic destruction cases."

Taking the box, Freed nodded. "Of course, Laxus Sama, we'll get right to work. Anything else you require this morning?"

"When you finish getting the notes for your research, bring the box to me. I'm going to need it to back up my little talk with Gramps. It's time he realized that he's gone too far, and I'm fed up with his antics." Laxus growled softly.

"Right away, Laxus Sama." Freed answered as he moved toward the stairs.

Looking over at Mirajane, Laxus spoke with authority. "When Redox gets here, send him to the infirmary to find me." With those words ringing in the air, Laxus turned on heel to stomp his way into the medical wing.

Stepping through the rune barrier, after removing Red Fox's name form the forbidden list, Laxus was surprised to see a strange woman playing a harp beside Blondie. Concerned by the strange woman's presence, Laxus considered kicking her out. Flipping one of his enchanted headphones buffer rating to a lower level, Laxus was startled by the beauty of the music played. It was quiet enough to not make his sensitive ears ring, so Laxus left the magical noise reduction barrier's rating lower as he stalked toward Porlyusica hoping for an answer of how the woman got in. "Who's the woman, and how's Gramps doing?"

"One of Lucy's spirits that she called to amuse her, and Makarov's doing better. He's starting to figure out how to talk a little bit. He's having problems forming most words because some consonants require more muscle control that he has at the moment. He's still slurring a lot, but some words are clearer. Overall, Makarov's surprising me by how quickly he's relearning to speak. Fool man can't seem to understand he needs to rest a lot longer before he can get out of bed. He's already had breakfast, so you can look in on him."

"I'll take Gramps attempt to talk as a good sign. I'm sure he'll be back on his feet sooner than anyone expects. I also wanted to ask you to release Blondie to get back onto part time typing duties upstairs? I'll oversee her so she doesn't do any more lifting or other activities she's not allowed to do. My writing is too illegible for the Council to accept hand written forms from me. If the backlog wasn't so bad, I wouldn't be asking." Laxus said.

"The fool girl's almost as bad as Makarov. The broken skin has begun to scab over so she should be fine so long as she doesn't try to do anything strenuous. Whether you want her to work in the morning, or the afternoons is up to you. Just have her back here by eight PM each evening, and I'll allow it. Will get the little fool out of my hair."

"Write out a list of what she can do, and I'll enforce it, Porlyusica." Laxus replied.

"Doubt your way's going to help that much, Laxus. You're too stubborn for your own good, same as Makarov. Still, Makarov should retire soon because of his health, so I suppose I'll hope your damned hostile takeover works out."

"Going to extremes isn't how I wanted things to play out, Porlyusica. Nothing else I've done has ever given Gramps a reason to change his mind. Now I'm going to convince him by doing things the hard way." Giving the old woman a nod as she shot him a perplexed glare, Laxus went to his grandfather's bed.

Although relieved that Makarov was improving, Laxus could not help but fist his hands as he fought down another wave of near blinding fury while looking down at his grandfather's half slackened face. Now was not the time to blindly lash out at the old man on all the levels Laxus truly wanted to with every fiber of his being. Realizing that the old man was still too delicate to deal with the bulk of his rage, Laxus decided to curb as much of his fury as he could, and focus on the main issue. It was long past time to settle the mis-communication on the subject of Ivan Dreyer, once and for all.

Knowing that he still needed answers that all the new information failed to provide, Laxus took several deep breaths before attempting to get his grandfather's attention. "Gramps, I need to talk to you."

When Makarov's eyes opened and his head turned to face him, Laxus settled into the chair beside the bed. "Do you understand the reason behind everything I've done during this last three weeks? If not, lift your good hand and I'll explain everything to you so you can think about what I'm saying to you."

A startled look passed over the still functioning half of Makarov's face. A moment later, his non stroke affected hand lifted as Laxus knew it would. The harp playing woman vanished in a puff of golden light, and Laxus picked up the sound of boots entering the infirmary. Had he tried, Laxus knew he could not have planned things better if he had time magic at his disposal. Having to keep Gajeel Redfox on a short chain to participate in the promised damage control training was coming in handier than Laxus had thought possible. Having his new secretary's attention would also play in Laxus favor. Heartfilia had connections that might come in handy once Freed had exhausted his own research. With the correct spin used, Laxus knew he could convince the little socialite to help uncover any missing information, and legal loopholes that he needed to keep the Magic Council at bay.

"You refuse to accept that I'm a grown man who's had every fucking right to know the information that you've been hiding, Gramps. I'm no longer a ten year old brat that can't handle facts about my own disgusting father. You keep hiding everything pertinent that he's done from me, and that puts my life on the line. Had you told me the truth when you kicked Ivan out, I wouldn't have wasted the last few years being pissed off because I didn't understand what was a stake. Nothing I say gets through to you. You won't stop treating me like a child. Then you wonder why the hell I'm such an asshole when you continue backing me into corners I can barely escape all the fucking time. If you didn't want me to become an asshole, you should have leveled with me years ago!"

"Lathus? Wah?" Makarov's weak voice tried to interrupt.

"Let me finish. Before I became an S class, I understand that you were dealing in S rank only classified information that I didn't have clearance to know. Only an idiot wouldn't realize that you couldn't tell me about what Ivan was doing because of the Magic Council's rules. I don't blame you for keeping things from me when I didn't have the legal clearance to know the truth about my father's actions, or how his actions were endangering Fairy Tail orphans. Once I became an S class mage at seventeen, everything changed. You should have put a little faith in me. I would have accepted the reality that S class information was outside of my previous clearance and tried to help you sort the mess out. Instead, you've been endangering Fairy Tail, and a lot of innocent people by keeping secrets simply because Ivan embarrassed you. You've put the loser's section in danger for way too long."

"Harrumph. So it's true that you hate weaker mages than yourself. Why should Makarov trust you with anything when you're so self centered and arrogant?" Porlyusica snapped, a broom in her hands as she stalked closer looking intent to beat Laxus upside the head.

"Do you really want me to answer your question? Because believe me . . . I will, and I don't think you're going to like it." Laxus snapped at the old healer as he blocked her downswing and gripped the broom so she could no longer wield it.

"Try me. I already hate humans, so nothing you say will change my mind." Porlyusica grumbled.

"I hate weaklings because of the numbers that constantly attack me when I'm away from home. Do you have any idea how annoying it is having to swat away the little fuckers only to have new groups of idiots attack with larger numbers no matter where you go? All the idiots are doing is pissing me, and my team off by wasting our time! Weaklings don't have the smarts to get creative, and they get in each other's way whenever they're fighting me and the Thunder Tribe. If you don't get what I am saying, let's take Natsu as the perfect example of what I consider weak. Natsu doesn't think about anything he does. He's reckless to the point of being mind numbing level easy to read whenever he attacks. Natsu's nothing but raw destruction walking due to refusing to use his brains. The only thing Natsu has going for him is boring his enemy to tears before changing to a different attack which only causes a little damage while his opponent adjusts to the new attack. Natsu has insane magical and fighting stamina, but he doesn't try to learn anything new. For that reason, no matter how much his magic grows over the years, he's never going to be a truly strong mage. Natsu's destructive power is one of the main reasons Fairy Tail is always reduced to Fiore's laughing stock. The bulk of our members are thoughtless and reckless during their missions. Excessive destruction isn't proof of our mages having any strength. It's a glaring symptom of being too weak to evolve beyond mindless, inefficient violence! It is a waste of magic power, and causes unneeded damage that a little thinking could prevent."

The drop mouthed silence that Porlyusica maintained as she released her end of the broom was mirrored in Makarov's expression. Yet it was Porlyusica who wanted to know why he hated weak mages so Laxus was going to break it down in as many details as needed for her to realize his disgust had logical foundations.

Laxus could feel someone stopping directly behind him, but chose to ignore their presence long enough to drive home another reason he felt so much rage. "I'm sick and tired of all this bull shit no disciplined approach making our guild look so fucking bad in the public's opinion! We've also got the Magic Council looking for any excuse possible to disband Fairy Tail because of letting a few weak willed idiots run around like crazed animals who don't understand how to behave in public. At some point, the lack of demonstrated intelligence within Fairy Tail's ranks is going to end up getting the loser's section killed! Gramps has willfully hidden information that this guild has needed to know so everyone can better cover each other's asses if shit hits the fan. Hiding the reason my fucking father got excommunicated has been putting my ass, my team's asses, even the whole fucking guild's collective asses in danger for several years. The loser's section can't handle what will land on Fairy Tail's doorstep sooner or later because Gramps won't come clean with anyone out of some screwed up belief that he has to protect me. Gramps is also putting everyone in danger because the Loser's section doesn't understand how to think things through because he continues to let them act on reckless impulses. Don't get me wrong, because I do get why he's kept so many secrets about Ivan from idiots who can't keep their mouths shut. Too many people in the Loser's section have proven that they have an inability to stop gossiping about everything they hear. That lack of discipline is also a huge liability considering everything at stake!"

The color was leeching from Makarov's features as he stared back at Laxus, opening his mouth and a strangled sound came out. Lifting his hand, Laxus growled, "Don't go having another heart attack, Gramps. You're the last of my family, and whether you believe me or not, I do want to keep you around for a long time. It's time you realize this isn't some stupid teenaged rebellion phase that I'll outgrow. I'm doing this because you won't trust me with the truth, and I'm beyond sick of getting targeted without any idea as to why it's happening."

Struggling to sit up, Makarov got help from Porlyusica. The old man looked ashamed as he nodded once he was seated instead of laying down. Tears were slowly making track lines down his care worn face.

"Look, you can't keep pulling the same exact shit that you've been pulling since I was a child and Ivan first put the Lacrima in me. I'm tired of all the secrets and the lies, Gramps. If the only way to put an end to the bullshit is to insure Fairy Tail is no longer ridiculed because you won't listen to the Magic Council, or me, then I have to step in to save this guild. So far it looks like it is the right choice because I got us an extension. Now that I'm getting the answers I need for why I am constantly getting attacked by weakling pains in the ass, I can put the smarter members of this guild who can keep their mouths shut, to the task of safeguarding the weaklings who refuse to grow up. I'm getting the answers now, and I'm so far beyond pissed off right now that I'm tempted to use thunder palace on your ass to wake you up to how damned asinine you've been acting all these years! If you had simply opened your mouth and told me the truth, none of this shit would be happening right now."

Redfox snorted. "Big words coming from someone who has an ego that's bigger than my last Guild Master's."

"Shut it, Phantom trash. I'm not happy that my own grandfather chooses to trust you over me. He's got you running interference, instead of trusting me to handle my own problems. You have no idea how much that pisses me off. On my way in to check on Gramps before going home last night, I heard enough of your report to know that Gramps will hide the facts all the way to his fucking grave if I don't force them out of him. Much as this room stinks because of all the medicines in it, I'm glad it made it impossible for you to smell me, Metal Head. From what I've learned because of your report, I can ensure lives aren't going to be compromised much longer. Plus, I'm going to do what has to be done to put my crazy father down, and handle the Council."

"Tch. Should have known you'd stick your nose where it isn't supposed to be." Redfox grumbled

"My life's on the line so I damned well have a right to know what's happening with Ivan. I don't give a shit about whether you like me or not, Redfox. Phantom Lord was already crossing the line into Dark Guild territory long before you morons fucked with Fairy Tail and got yourselves disbanded. I'm not happy to see all the recommendation letters from Council members that tell my grandfather to bring you into our ranks either. Seems to me that you're a spy for the Magic Council. Your loyalties are iffy at best far as I'm concerned. Until you prove otherwise, you'll remain Phantom trash, with iffy character in my opinion. So get used to it, Redfox. Far as my own shit is concerned, you're the one butting your fucking nose in where it doesn't belong. I'm the one that's carrying a rock in my skull that's worth an unbelievable amount of money if someone can rip it out of my dead skull. Not you."

Hearing a soft, wounded sounding gasp, and smelling tears, Laxus bit down on his desire to yell at Blondie to stop crying. Her soft hearted foolishness would not help matters. Pity was not something Laxus wanted, and he would insure she knew that in private.

Turning to glare at his grandfather with all his pent up fury, Laxus continued to rant. "You are going to stay in this bed and get well, Gramps. Once you're well, you're going to stop meddling in my life, or trying to shield me from my own problems. Get this through your stubborn skull, Ivan's no longer your problem. He's mine, and I'm going to deal with him. You'll never believe in me, and I'm used to it by now! Seems the only way I'll ever force you to face me for who I am is to surpass you so you'll stop being a damned overprotective fool! Now that I know what the Magic Council is up to, because of Ivan stealing the Lacrima in me, I can do something that matters. I'll get your deal with them canceled and make my own deals with the fucking assholes! Turning Fairy Tail around is one step in the right direction that will keep me from being locked up until I die so they can retrieve their property. To be blunt, I'm not ruling out the possibility of some attacks being Council ordered on the sly. I'm aware of how greedy they get, and how power hungry they are. Neutralizing their underhanded tactics is part of the bigger picture that I will accomplish."

"Sssoooowyy haaa yhhuu . . ." Makarov tried to speak.

"Stop! I don't want to hear any empty apologies out of you, Gramps! All I want to know is why you keep forcing me to go out of my way to surpass you to get you to acknowledge the reality that I'm an adult?"

"Tha'sss n-n-noo iiith. Lathus . . ." Makarov struggled to speak.

Figuring out what his grandfather was trying to say, Laxus cut off the old man's attempt to speak yet again. "You sure fooled me then, Gramps! I'm going to make you see that I can damned well fight my own battles! What I've really needed from you for several years now, is for you to stop interfering without taking the time to trust me with the facts. You make it far harder for me to do something worthwhile to defend myself every chance you got, and then dared to brush it off as rebellious teenaged whims! The secrets you've been hiding from me have gotten too deep, and too dangerous for my health, or anyone else's. So I'm getting to the bottom of this shit no matter how I have to go about it before a lot more people wind up dead! The weaklings in this guild could get killed out of ignorance while things continue getting worse. It's all because you covered up my father's fuck ups! Hiding everything means I can't trust you, or anyone else. My back's been against a wall for a long time, and I'm exhausted because of it. You've made sure that I don't have any reason to think that you'll ever believe in me, Gramps."

More footfalls sounded in the room, and Laxus turned his head to see a very pale Freed gingerly handling the long black box, a look or great distaste on his face. Freed stepped up beside Laxus and handed over the box without a word.

"I've spent most of my S class career fending off attacks that made no sense because they had nothing to do with any missions I've ever completed. The pattern of every attack didn't fit revenge attempts. The attackers have always targeted me specifically, but I'm a lot closer to understanding why now that I have seen everything you've been hiding from me all along. I'm not stupid, and never was, Gramps. Even without the facts, I've suspected the attacks must have something to do with my bastard of a father, or the implanted lacrima for a while now. At least now I know that my hunch was right."

"Laxus Sama?" Freed asked after clearing his throat.

"What is it, Freed?"

"Shall I give Bickslow a short explanation of this new information? Or do you wish to be the one who explains the reason behind the constant attacks?"

"You do it. I'm not done telling Gramps off for hiding this shit."

"As you wish, Master Laxus." Freed responded with a nod of his head before rushing from the room.

Gajeel moved to the side so he could make eye contact. "So what's so important about that box? Looks like Makarov's mad as hell that you've got it in your hands, Lightning Rod."

"That's Master Lightning Rod to you, Metal Head. Gramps doesn't want anyone to know what's in this box because it's proof of the Dreyer family's greatest shame. It contains the proof that my father became a Dark Mage. I've known about this damned box for a while now, but I left it alone because I kept thinking that, . . . maybe, . . . just maybe, . . . Gramps would come to his senses and explain what was in here that he didn't want me to see. This box explains everything wrong in my own family, and why I keep getting targeted."

Seeing the old man sobbing felt immensely satisfying. Laxus was determined to change things. He was willing to do whatever was necessary to force his grandfather to back down so Laxus had free reign to make the changes he had in mind. Makarov had hidden too much, and Laxus could not forgive him for all the deceit.

A small hand came to rest on his shoulder that carried the hints of a bewitching scent. "Master Laxus, please calm down. I understand you have every right to be angry. Still, whatever is in that box, you can rely on me and other members of this guild to help you any way we can if you'll tell us what's wrong. All you have to do is put a little trust in us, the way you want your grandfather to trust you. If you explain yourself, you'll find that everyone will try to think things through before acting on whims. You explained your intentions beautifully and it sounds like you do want to save the guild. I think you're intentions are admirable. If you explain things to everyone, instead of locking us out the way you believe that Makarov locked you out, I'm sure everyone would help make the changes you think we need to make into reality."

Jaw clenching to control the unwelcome surge of awareness over Heartfilia's interruption, Laxus clamped down on the urge to shake her hand off while he mulled over her words. The anger was slipping away as the woman's hand continued to rest on his shoulder, as if to give comfort. Redfox grunted and gave a nod of agreement.

"Well, since I'm in charge of this infirmary, I think I've had enough of this chattering. You've made your point, and I think this old goat has finally gotten the message. Now get yourself and these other filthy, stinking humans out of my sight. I need to make sure Makarov doesn't relapse." Porlyusica broke the silence with a much softer tone of voice and look in her eyes than Laxus expected.

"Sure. You have that list for me yet?" Laxus asked as he rose to his feet, forcing Blondie to remove her hand from his shoulder.

Porlyusica handed over the paper, and Laxus took a quick glance over the instructions. "Get dressed, Blondie. You're back to half days in the office to help me get the long ignored paperwork completed and filed. Now that I know what you are, and aren't allowed to do, I'm letting you off of the strict bed rest orders."

A gasp greeted Laxus' order. A moment later, tiny arms were wrapped around and squeezing Laxus waist as the distinctive soft and firm feel of a feminine body contoured to his back. "Thank you so much, Laxus. I can't wait to get back to work!"

Almost before he knew what had happened, Laxus felt the small woman withdraw, and heard her footsteps scurrying toward her bed again. Turning around to look at the little debutante, he was amazed that Lucy Heartfilia was snatching her keys and calling one of her spirits. Bemused, Laxus could only watch as Lucy asked her spirit to bring her clothing, a radiant grin on her face.

A snicker from his left swiveled Laxus head to see Gajeel moving up beside him. "She's right you know. You've got a right to be angry about how things have been handled behind your back. I'd be mad as hell if I found out it was happening to me. Don't make the same mistake it seems Makarov's been making with you. Talk to everyone, and see who's willing to listen instead of treating everyone like criminals. It'll make things a hell of a lot easier, Master Laxus. If you want to know what your father's been up to, I'll tell you what I know."

Uncertain how to take Gajeel's words, Laxus found himself frowning at the Iron Dragon Slayer as he realized that the Iron Slayer was willing to talk. "Let me get Blondie settled in, and I'll take you up on that offer, Redfox." With a toothy grin, Gajeel gave him a lazy salute and headed out of the infirmary.

~~oo0oo~~


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Don't own Fairy Tail, just the twisted plot used to torment characters from the series. **Thanks to those reviewers who sent condolences for my friends and family's loss through PMs or reviews. I appreciate the kindness extended to my family and friends. Things are rough at the moment, but this anguish shall pass in time.  
**

I'm thankful that this Alternate Universe storyline is so well liked here at FFnet. My jaw dropped when I checked the Legacy stats and saw that this story has 117 reviews and 160 story alerts. You guys are wonderful. My schedule in real world terms is a life of S.N.A.F.U. around the clock so I appreciate the patience with my crazy posting as I have no ability to keep a real schedule right now since I'm holding so many people together due to this latest death of an elder. *****Hope everyone will enjoy the complete separation from the Cannon show with mix and match variety arcs starting with this chapter.**

CHAPTER 11

Arms crossed over his chest, Laxus waited for whatever Redfox would say as the Iron Dragon Slayer flipped through the photos of murdered teenagers and young adults. The black box sat near Laxus elbow, on the back edge of his desk. One thing was for certain, Redfox was disturbed by every picture he was taking his time to study if the pallor of his skin was any indication of Gajeel's state of mind. Resenting the need to extend even the smallest hints of his childhood, or his personal life, Laxus knew it was the only way to insure the spy, and blondie would work with him. If it was not for the fact that he had every reason to be suspicious of the Magic Council's possible ulterior motives, Laxus would never have shown either of them anything in the strong box.

Freed was sitting on the couch with Evergreen and Bickslow as they waited for someone to speak. A glance over at Blondie showed that she was reading the correspondence pile with quick efficiency, neatly stacking each in chronological order as she returned them to their envelopes. The way Blondie worried her lower lip between pearl white teeth was a dangerous distraction he needed to ignore if he was going to keep focused Laxus knew as he forced his eyes anywhere else but on the busty woman.

With a shake of his head that caught Laxus attention, Gajeel dumped the pile of photos onto the desk and swiped a hand over his face. "Makarov didn't say anything about your old man being such a sick fucker when he asked me to keep an eye on Ivan." Redfox flicked his thumb in the direction of the photo pile. "Sickest shit I've ever seen, and I've seen some pretty foul shit since I got roped into joining Phantom Lord. Jose isn't a fraction of this level of sick, although Jose's a hardcore asshole. Ivan said he wanted the lacrima in you because it had matured, but he never said anything about the horrific torture used to extract the fucking thing. Sounded like he was willing to kill you to get it, but I didn't know it involved this kind of bull shit to get the damned thing."

Picking up the stack of images, Laxus shoved them back into the box before Blondie had a chance to look them over. "All these images are Bellona's direct handiwork. No idea what it was that Bellona did to my father that changed him into her delusional slave before I was born, but somehow she's behind the monster he became."

Freed spoke up on the heels of Laxus thoughts. "Is it possible that this Bellona had a hand in your mother's death somehow, Laxus Sama?"

"My mother had a serious heart condition all her life which I inherited from her. From what I know, my birth is what ultimately killed her because her heart couldn't handle the ongoing strain. All that matters now is that Ivan got crueller after my mother died. Everyone assumed it was grief that was driving Ivan insane. I even thought his brutality was him trying to get rid of the weak heart condition I had inherited so he wouldn't lose me too. I was told that the lacrima was meant to cure me of what was supposed to be an incurable medical problem. It worked so I never thought to question my father's explanation."

"Uhm, I don't meant to interrupt, but some of these letters from certain Council Members are sinister considering how they phrased things to your grandfather, Master Laxus." Blondie's strained voice captured Laxus attention.

Glancing over at Heartfilia, Laxus frowned as he took in her teary eyed expression. "Don't start crying because it won't help, Blondie!" Laxus snapped. "I need you to find legal solutions to the contract that Gramps was forced to sign. If you can't help me neutralize the Council's threat, then do me the favor of telling me that you can't handle it so I can have Freed handle it. I'm hoping I can rely on you to put a stop to what they've done to Gramps since Ivan put this damned rock in me. Pity is a waste of your time, and mine."

Blondie straightened her back as she shot Laxus a savage glare. "You can count on me to insure the law works in your favor, and your grandfather's, Master Laxus." Her voice was flat and emotionless in complete contrast to the fire snapping in her brown eyes. "As things stand, these letters also give credibility to the idea that the Magic Council is trying to shut this guild down as a ruse to get their hands on you for the lacrima in your body. Since the King of Fiore is behind the Magic Council's existence, he is also the one who can remove Council Members and even dissolve the Council itself if they fail to cooperate with a full investigation into this matter. I believe you have enough evidence here to warrant such an investigation, and prevent Fairy Tail's shut down."

"Why would the King give a damn, Bunny Girl?" Gajeel asked as his knuckles lightly rapped the top of her desk as he settled one hip on the edge.

Heartfilia returned the last of the letters to their correct envelopes which she held out to Laxus to take as Lucy began speaking. "For one thing, if the Magic Council is becoming corrupted by their extraordinary power, it stands to reason that they might attempt to overthrow the Royal House using the legal guilds some day. When one considers the number of powerful mages who are under the Magic Council's control, the King has every right to be made aware that there is a potential problem of overreach and corruption within the second most powerful legal system in his nation. With a few dozen S class mages, The Magic Council would make things difficult for Fiore's military to overcome if the Chairman of the Magic Council decided to become the ultimate ruler of this nation."

"You know that isn't likely to happen. Right, Bunny Girl?" Gajeel scoffed.

Freed spoke from the couch. "Assuming that Makarov is the only Wizard Saint being blackmailed, you'd be correct, Gajeel. Yet we cannot be certain that Master Laxus' grandfather is the only Wizard Saint, or S class mage that the Council is controlling through threats. Now can we?"

"Freed's correct about our not knowing how far this kind of behavior has spread in recent years. Everyone has someone or something they will do anything to protect at some point in their lives. Master Makarov has gone to great lengths to protect his grandson. From the tone of these letters, I got the impression that Master Makarov has already tried everything possible to keep Laxus safe. So, who is to say that the Magic Council isn't likewise abusing others who are equally powerful within the Mage and Wizard community? Master Laxus is a very powerful mage in his own right, and yet he's at risk for being locked away simply because of having been abused by a crazy person when he was a little boy. Without doing anything at all, the Magic Council already has plenty of black mail material to use against Master Laxus without having to do any kind of digging."

The fact that Blondie added points about black mail potentials that Laxus had not even considered in her little speech riveted Laxus attention on her intelligence. It seemed the woman was very well suited to political intrigue. A wry twist of his lips slipped into existence before Laxus could fully regain control of his emotions. It annoyed Laxus that he had not thought of that possible angle before the little heiress brought it to his attention. The subtleties of power games seemed second nature to Lucy Heartfilia, and Laxus had ever intention to using her as a powerful ally in the battle to keep his possessions, plus create his true vision of what Fairy Tail needed to embody to be the most powerful guild in the nation.

"A good hypothetical point to make, Blondie. Considering I heard Metal Head here say he figures your father is going to try to bribe the Council to get you back, corruption is a very real possibility. Though I'm not sure how the hypothetical situation applies to what they're doing to Gramps." Laxus spoke before Gajeel could recover.

A look of shame flashed across Blondie's face. "Don't bring my father up right now, because he's irrelevant unless he actually does find a means to bribe someone, and they do disband this guild. One problem at a time is all I'm going to deal with today. My point is that if the Council was handed the right circumstances, they could depose the Royal House easy enough since they provide all Mages and Wizards that the Royal Family employs, Master Laxus. If they are the ones who are sending the Mages to the Royal Family, it would be easy to insert people loyal to the Magic Council alone."

"Why assume the Magic Council would do something like that, Cosplayer?" Bickslow's dolls echoed his new nickname for Blondie.

"My name is Lucy. Use it. As to why I'm suggesting such a possibility; my father has kept very accurate files on businesses that compete with his railway system using a similar, yet less obvious tactic. Sending in a snoop to get inside information needed to prevent his own company from losing profits is one of my father's favorite tactics. It is also a favorite device of the nobility to destroy each other or gain higher favor with the crown at the expense of others. Knowing how cut throat that businessmen and nobles can get when it comes to their profits or station, I refuse to ignore the possibility that the Magic Council has the means to complete a Coup with little effort. If these letters are any indication of their ruthless nature, I'm not going to put such a bid past the Chairman if he ever chooses to use the extraordinary power at his command." Lucy answered in a level voice.

"But I don't see how this could be used as proof that the Council is after the Fiore Crown, Bunny Girl. You can't go making empty accusations!" Gajeel argued.

"I'm not making any kind of accusations, Gajeel. I'm simply stating that these letters are enough to force His Majesty to open a much needed investigation into the Council's behavior to insure there isn't a possible over reach involved. His Majesty will automatically think about the possibility that the Magic Council is becoming too powerful for his safety without me suggesting anything at all. Healthy doses of paranoia about everyone around them is how the nobility live. Furthermore, we need someone in a position to get the letters that Makarov sent in response to these missives to build a complete picture of what's at stake. We need those letters because Makarov's too ill to tell us about any of his responses. We need to understand the level of danger Laxus is actually in before we can devise a working plan to neutralize the legal problems these letters insinuate. The Royal Family is the only power capable of forcing the Magic Council to turn over all pertinent documents. The King's in a position to curb the Magic Council and put an end to the problems Fairy Tail is having right now."

Laxus shook his head as he saw hope spread over Evergreen's face. "We still have to raise the back owed fines, and clean up this guild's attitude about destruction because of the reputation problem we have. That isn't going to change no matter what else might happen if we hand these documents over to the King. We also have to consider the fact that Gramps excommunicated Ivan instead of helping throw him behind bars when he had the chance. So when you get down to worst case scenarios, the Crown could as easily side with the Council. We can't afford a Royal Decree that causes Makarov to lose his status as a Wizard Saint, plus putting some of us in prison. It's as likely that a Royal Decree would include disbanding this guild due to our current reputation for destruction."

"Did you have to say that, Laxus Sama? We've been fighting for a couple years, and now you're saying that the Crown might throw us in jail simply because your old man's an asshole? I liked Cosplayer's idea since it makes things easier. We need to get the full picture so we can protect you, and ourselves. Isn't there some way to get the information we need and keep our freedom?" Bickslow's totems echoed him in irritated sounding voices.

"Hm, I have an idea." Blondie spoke as she pulled her key chain into her hand and gripped a key. "Open Gate of the Southern Cross, Crux."

Frowning at the woman, Laxus was about to ask what she was thinking as a silvery power flashed to show a weird looking large cross with legs levitating above Blondie's desk. "Ah, Miss Lucy. So wonderful to see you. How may I help you today?"

"Hi, Grampa Crux. I was wondering if there are any books on current Fiore Laws involving the Magic Council and the Royal Government that might be stored in the Celestial library?"

"Of course we keep track of the evolving laws of the human world since we spirits must adhere to the human laws when we are here." The odd looking old man answered.

"Thank goodness because I really need some answers to a really nasty problem so we can save members of my family, Grampa Crux." Lucy spoke with a beautiful smile.

Hearing Blondie refer to everyone as family jolted Laxus. His brows plunged to the bridge of his nose as Laxus stared at the woman trying to figure out where her weird ideas came from.

"What is the situation and I'll get right to work for you." the Cross shaped old man answered with a warm smile.

Turning to look at him, Blondie asked. "It is okay if I tell Crux the situation since he's not going to be disclose anything to anyone else. Right?"

"So this is the spirit that was listed in your file as being able to find out information on anything imaginable I take it?" Laxus asked with a lifted brow.

"I don't know about the anything imaginable part, but this is Grampa Crux. He's the world's best researcher." Lucy grinned.

"Fine. Might as well show me how well your spirit finds useful answers. I'm interested in seeing if it's as capable as rumored, since you didn't use him to learn the Thunder Palace's weakness for dismantling it the way you should have, Blondie." Laxus decided to rib the woman for involving weird spirits in his problems.

"Grandpa Crux is not an it, Laxus Dreyer! He's one of my spirit Family! So you take that back right now!" Lucy snarled as she shot out of her chair, hands balling into incorrect looking fists.

"Thumbs lay along the outside of your index finger or you'll destroy your hand the first time you actually hit something with weight behind it, Blondie. "Laxus spoke in a lazy drawl as he demonstrated what a proper fist should look like. "And, I'll agree that your spirit is worth knowing as an individual if the information found is reliable and viable. Same rule applies to all your spirit's as I have in place for everyone that's a member of this guild, including you, Blondie. Prove your worth as a part of Fairy Tail, or leave."

"Ohhhhh! You are such an insufferable Jerk, Laxus Dreyer!" Lucy snarled as the spirit floated behind her as if it could care less that they were arguing about it.

Laxus snarled right back at the woman who was daring to challenge his authority over something that he saw as a reasonable demand as he stood and stooped over enough to be nose to nose and eye to eye with the feisty female. "I've got a guild to save, and that includes making certain that the lacrima in my body isn't one of the dangers this guild faces, Blondie! If you can't handle the fact that I'll be an asshole until I see real evidence of cooperation then that's your problem, Sweetheart! Once I see proof that your spirit's all the books say it is, I'll be happy to upgrade your Spirit to an honorary member of Fairy Tail, including using whatever gender pronouns and name that you and it wants."

"I'll show you that my spirits aren't its! I've already promised to find the answer to your problem, Jerk! So don't you dare ever insult one of my spirits again! Don't you dare make me regret giving my word as a Celestial Mage to help you!" The little hellion dared to poke him in the chest as her volume increased.

"I'm being perfectly reasonable, Blondie. I don't know shit about your spirits outside of the few descriptions I've read about their abilities. Fairy Tail needs the best of the best to keep our doors open. The loser's section is getting training to learn how to insure our doors stay open. If your spirits are an extension of your magic, then they damned well better be able to uphold Fairy Tail's honor also!" Laxus growled as he tried to force the younger woman to back down with sheer physical size and intimidation.

A heavy sigh filled the air as Lucy bared her teeth in a feral sneer of temper. "Can you two save the damned mating rituals for some other time? I mean sure Bunny Girl's quite the catch considering how gutsy she is, but I thought this meeting was about saving the guild and getting Ivan behind bars so Fairy Tail's no longer under close watch." Gajeel's voice held a distinctive touch of amusement.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, Metal Head? Blondie's going to learn her place and that's all there is to it!" Laxus rounded on the smirking Slayer.

With a knowing grin, Gajeel looked at Lucy. "Get the information we need, Bunny Girl. He'll come around faster once he's got his proof. Before you start screaming loud enough to make both of our ears bleed, most guilds insist on a test before admitting new members, so think of it like that instead of rising tot he bait."

Irritated with the situation, Laxus tuned out Blondie as he focused on Redfox by getting in his face as his hands slammed onto the desk top, voice dropped to a very soft and lethal snarl. "What's up with the Bunny Girl nickname, and the stupid jab, asshole?"

"You got a problem with my complimenting her? Or is your problem with me have to do with the fact that I pointed out that you're acting like all the rest of us Dragon Slayers by testing the mettle of a woman you're interested in, . . . to see if she's got what it takes to make her worth keeping?" Gajeel asked with a tension laced undertone.

"Consider it a case of curiosity about the nickname. Just know that you're full of shit if you think I'm interested in anything other than putting a stop to insubordination." Laxus replied as his eyes narrowed.

Gajeel answered with a sour, eye rolling expression that shifted to thoughtful as he glanced at Blondie who was still talking to her weird spirit. The black maned mage spoke in a normal voice so that everyone in the room heard his opinion. "Not many people have the guts to earn my respect, but she managed. Jose ordered me to break her so he could use her however he saw fit because he never intended to return her to her old man. Jose intended to control her family's fortune through her. Every time I beat her down, even felt ribs cracking, Lucy hopped up fast as a rabbit and taunted me like she'd never got dropped. People exist that can't be broken, and Lucy Heartfilia's one of 'em. As to the second thing I said, you're a second gen so have no idea of all the ways that Slayer magic changes a person, or the lore that goes with being a Slayer. I do, and every time Bunny Girl stands up to you, it drives you crazy, but you can't make yourself seriously zap her no matter how pissed off you get at her. Try to fool yourself all you like, but I'll bet a lot that you're as drawn to her personality as Salamander or me. None of us would notice her, much less become attached to her like Salamander, if she wasn't a tough woman worth protecting. Hell, Salamander's trying his best to permanently glue himself to her ass because she's capable of curbing him when needed and his instincts know it."

An unwelcome emotion Laxus could not define, rose to the surface. Forcing the sense of fear sparked anger down to contemplate later, Laxus noted the subtle change in Gajeel's posture while he spoke about Blondie. Part of Laxus snarled over the Iron Slayer practically admitting that he was interested in the Celestial Mage while sidetracking to Natsu's constant buzzing around the sexy socialite. Needing to change the subject as he tried to absorb what the Iron Dragon Slayer had divulged, Laxus asked, "Still say you're full of shit because I'm not like you first gens. So shut the fuck up about it. What I need to know right now is when did Ivan say outright that he was planning to kill me to retrieve the lacrima?"

"Couple days after the Fantasia Parade was the last time he contacted me with one of those creepy paper dolls of his. He said your only value was when you were dead and he had the lacrima to sell for a huge profit." Gajeel answered with a bland tone.

"And the next thing that happened was you intercepting his chosen assassins I take it?"

"You got it." Gajeel grunted with a nod.

"Freed, would such a conversation hold weight with the Magic Council, or do we need some kind of tangible proof since I don't suppose Gajeel has the doll." Laxus spoke as he gave a questioning look to Gajeel since the Iron Slayer followed the topic shift without any type of fuss, or superiority aimed comments that Laxus had expected.

"Nah, his dolls tend to blow up once he's said whatever it is he wants to say." Gajeel confirmed one of Laxus' suspicions.

"It would hold weight with the Magic Council if they can use truth magic to insure Gajeel's speaking the truth. If he's willing to let them put that spell on him, his account would actually hold a lot of weight." Freed spoke in an abnormally stiff, formal voice.

Evergreen cleared her throat loud enough to grab everyone's attention. "Um, Lucy, I think your spirit fell asleep on you."

"Nope. Grampa Crux is busy doing research for me."

"I hate to break it to you, Cosplayer, but that's a snot bubble coming out of his nose. I'm pretty sure Ever's right. The old spirit's snoozing on ya."

"You'll see soon enough. It's what Grampa Crux does when he's busy doing research in the Celestial Library. You could say he's in two places simultaneously so the sleeping look is how he signals that he's left his shell here."

Despite himself, Laxus was intrigued by what Blondie was saying. "So if your spirit was beside you in a fighting situation, wouldn't your Crux have to stay focused on what's happening to protect itself and you?"

"Crux isn't a fighting spirit, Laxus. The spirit of the Southern Cross is a spirit that embodies wisdom and knowledge. I'd never consider taking Crux into any kind of battle because he's defenseless the moment he leaves his form here to start looking for answers." Lucy spoke with conviction.

Bickslow's voice distracted Laxus before he could vent any contempt for such a weak being. "In other words, the best use of Grandpa Crux is to protect him while he finds the answers you need to build an iron clad strategy. Of course that requires having a much stronger spirit out that is combat ready to act as Crux's shield until he can get the answers you need to overpower the adversary or break any traps that you are confronted with in a fight."

Freed's expression was irritated as he spoke to Bickslow in the lecturing tone Laxus most despised, yet found himself listening to due to curiosity. "Celestial spirit gates take incredible amounts of magic because the mage literally has to create a bridge like tunnel between two different worlds for the spirit to cross into this world. The bridge has to be maintained while the spirit is on this side also. Although silver keys do not cause near as much magical strain on the caster, I understand that the Golden keys are a very taxing proposition to open, much less use for more than a few minutes before exhausting most mages. Few Celestial Mages can open two gates at a time, even if they are both silver keys for more than four or five minutes. A lot of the silver key spirits are best at entertaining, which allows Celestial Spirit mages to work on their endurance training while enjoying such training to the fullest. The strain on their magic makes it very difficult because of the ways that the magic has to flow between the two worlds, plus the mage must give extra power for each attack the spirit makes. The more keys a Celestial Mage can open at once is direct proof of how much focus and capacity to splice their magic into multiple two world tunnels and diverse magical directions that a mage has mastered. Such a diversification and empowering of multiple spirits only can happen through constant intensive training. It takes a large reservoir of magic to do what Lucy San is doing at the moment. Celestial Mages have deep well springs of magic, but it is the difficulty of powering multiple tunnels, gates, and their associated spirits through splicing their magic that has garnered such mages the reputation of being weak. In fact, historically speaking, some of the most powerful mages of all time were the children of Celestial Spirit Mages who chose different magics. You should try to cast multiple spells simultaneously and see how difficult it is in reality, Bickslow."

"Never said Cosplayer's weak. She had some crazy axe wielding half human looking cow, and a chain wearing Maid out when I was fighting her during the guild wide matches. Had 'em both out at the same time for a couple minutes. If she didn't have them both out for that two minutes, so one was fighting my babies, while the other snuck up on me, I would have won." Bickslow answered in a huffy voice.

"Miss Lucy, out of curiosity, is Bickslow describing Silver or Gold key spirits?" Freed asked with a rare undercurrent of excitement tainting his bearing and voice.

A flash of golden light interrupted the conversation as a pink haired woman with a stack of books in her arms appeared near Blondie. "Virgo, why are you here?"

"Crux asked me to deliver these books to you, Princess. He says he's marked the relevant passages for you to make notes on while he continues to find relevant laws that will help you. Punishment time?" The shackle wearing maid asked as she sat the stack of books onto Blondie's desk and stepped back to bow.

Blondie leapt from her chair and threw her arms around the stoic maid. "Thank you so much for bringing me the information on behalf of Grampa Crux. You didn't do anything wrong to deserve punishment, Virgo. You're a wonderful spirit, and I am so grateful that you're my friend and part of my family now. Thank you so much for all your help."

It was impossible for Laxus to miss the edgy quality in Blondie's voice as she set out to praise her spirit. The maid's bland expression shifted to a softer, borderline worshipful expression for several seconds. From the adamant tone of Blondie's voice, Laxus began to wonder what kind of people became Celestial Mages. If Freed's lecture was anything to go by, Blondie was very powerful considering a second spirit was now in his office. Two tunnels between separate worlds would be quite a feat if Laxus thought about trying to cast two spells at the same time. The mental focus would be painful to maintain and keep the spells from corroding by keeping them perfectly separated. The crazy question about punishment that her maid asked about was outlandish to Laxus ears and mind. What kind of woman was Blondie to have a spirit asking such things of her? If this was one of the two spirits mentioned in Freed's question, was it a gold or silver key?

Bickslow's voice drew Laxus from his thoughts. "Sounds like you have your hands full trying to heal your spirit, Cosplayer."

The violent nod that preceded her words spoke volumes about Blondie's passion. "Everlue was a horrible Celestial Spirit Mage. He made Virgo stay in her second form, and went so far as to imprison another human being to coerce them to do what he wanted them to do. Gold Keys get the most abuse because they are the Zodiac keys, and the most powerful. Far too many Celestial Spirit Mages abuse their spirits, and I can't stand it! If it is the last thing I ever do, I'm going to make sure people understand what a good Celestial Spirit Mage should act like by being the best Celestial Spirit Mage that has ever existed."

Curiosity got the best of Laxus as he found himself asking questions. "What do you mean by second form, Blondie?"

Before Blondie could speak, the spirit changed into a hulking and very ugly giantess. Even the shackles around the spirit's wrists had grown larger and longer, as her power output exploded from the huge muscle bound form. "This is my other form. Princess does not find it pleasing so I do not use it around her."

As the spirit shrunk back into the pleasant looking maid body, Blondie's expression scrunched up. "You don't have to look a certain way to please me, or expect punishment all the time. Please just be yourself around me, Virgo. I'm your friend. Whatever you need from me, I'll do it to earn your trust because I'm willing to prove I deserve your friendship. Nobody will be allowed to abuse you so long as you have a contract with me because you deserve respect, Virgo."

The words tumbling from Blondie's lips held enough conviction to hit Laxus' emotions in ways he had never experienced. Such a rare and whole hearted intention to uphold any virtue was a rarity, and Laxus gut told him that Blondie meant every word she was saying. To see a person who had such a strong belief in a specific value system set the young woman apart in multiple ways. A glance at his team told Laxus that aside from Bickslow, his followers were equally stunned by Blondie's pleading outburst.

Yet it was Bickslow's tongue lolling grin that spoke loudest to Laxus. Although Bickslow did not make as blatant a deal about his lost souls, it was obvious that he was deeply attached to them. To hear Blondie speak with the same kind of passion that Laxus knew Bickslow had toward his souls had Laxus rethinking several things about his new secretary. Among those things spinning through Laxus mind was the question of whether or not Blondie held the same kind of moral code toward human beings, or was it only her spirits that she devoted herself to without reservations.

The old spirit shouted without warning. "Miss Lucy, I have several more books for you to peruse. If you wish, I can have Virgo retrieve them for you once you complete your notes on these books. I know you'll return them as soon as you have the information you require. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"Thanks so much, Grampa Crux. You can go back now." With a fast forming snot bubble sliding out of the left nostril, the crazy looking spirit vanished after the first snore left it's mouth. Looking at the stack of books, Lucy nodded to herself. "I'll call you as soon as I finish making notes, Virgo. You can go back now." With another sketchy and stiff bow, the pink haired maid vanished.

"Seems like we're finished for the moment. I want you and Ever to look into this lacrima harvesting and implantation situation for me, Freed. If there's an alternative way to deal with this mess, and get the Council off my back without killing me, I'd like to know what it is. If nothing else, maybe we can find another lacrima that's identical in properties and size to mine and give them that as a replacement." Laxus dismissed everyone.

"Of course, Laxus Sama. We'll get right on the research. I'll also see what I can find out about laws that might serve to defuse this problem faster." Freed answered as he rose.

"Bickslow, see if you can't get Natsu san to cooperate with his training today. Lucy san seems to think bribery or competition with Gray san to see who can keep from destroying things outside of their targets will work wonders for the idiot's morale." Freed spoke as he grabbed the door handle.

"If Cosplayer says it'll work, it probably will. I'll find a way to make it a game to see who can fine tune their targeting capabilities." Bickslow answered as he and Evergreen followed Freed out of the room.

As if the rest of them were no longer in the room, Blondie grabbed a pair of glasses and began reading the top book where it was marked. The speed of her reading clued Laxus in on the fact they were gale force glasses as Lucy made a point of reading several pages before and after the marked places before she dumped the glasses and grabbed a legal pad to being making her notes.

Gajeel got up from his spot on Blondie's desk and shrugged. "Guess I'll go to the training field too. Seeing as how I'm one of the ones who has to do this stupid training crap."

"Metal Head, improve your targeting so you can get cleared faster. So long as you make it a habit to minimize damage, then the Council will have to find a much better excuse to close this guild's doors and screw everyone over. Got it?" Laxus spoke with force.

A grunt was the only answer as the Black Steel sauntered from the room. Another glance over at Blondie had their eyes meeting. The woman's face flushed a deep shade of rose as she snapped her eyes back toward the law book and muttered while reading. "I can't believe that stupid jerk Gajeel would say something so stupid about us arguing. Mira has somehow infected his brain with her obsession with romance if he can turn a simple argument into some twisted version of a romantic drama."

Something about Blondie's put upon tone struck Laxus as hilarious. Without warning he began to chuckle with genuine amusement. "Wouldn't put it past the Demon to try to infect everyone with her baby description loving obsession. Don't push me, and I won't push you, Blondie. Deal?"

Looking up from her reading, Laxus noticed that Lucy was looking less embarrassed. "So long as you don't insult my spirits, I have little reason to get in your face, Master Laxus. I'll always defend my spirits no matter what the consequences because they've been abused too often without any reason. They deserve my love and respect so I won't fail them."

"Whatever, Blondie. So long as they pass their tests when they're around me, I'll have nothing to growl about that involves them. My only criteria for accepting them is that they pass whatever test gets thrown at them so that they belong in this guild."

"If that's how you feel then it seems I don't belong in this guild. My life goal is to save all the spirits I can, and I know better than anyone that some spirits don't have any battle powers. So I'll help you with the things I promised I would, and then I'll leave since my spirits aren't welcome here!" Blondie hissed in a soft yet iron hard voice that stunned Laxus.

"What? You'd rather be under your father's thumb again and married off to the highest bidder then?" Laxus growled as his arms crossed over his chest.

The icy calm that colored Lucy's words rocked Laxus to his core. "I'll never go back to my father to be used as a pawn for his greed. I promised my mother that I would marry someone I love when she was on her death bed, and I'll die before I'll ever consider breaking my word to her!"

~~oo0oo~~


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Don't own Fairy Tail characters, but I do own any O/C's and twisted plot-lines I devise. **Real life is still insane but I want to extend my thanks to everyone who offered condolences through reviews or PM's over the recent death which threw the lives of my friends and family out of whack. Truly, I'm grateful for the kindness extended. **For now, I have no idea when my schedule will settle down again to allow for the 6 to 10 days posting schedule since the Estate is getting handled right now, and I have constant company for several more weeks. _**For the kids on summer break, enjoy your freedom, and have loads of fun.**_

CHAPTER 12

Stretching her arms as far as they would go, Lucy felt her spine crackle as her back bowed in her chair. Rolling her wrists, Lucy felt the tightened tendons begin to stretch, bringing additional relief from all the typing she had done. Once they figured out a viable working routine, Lucy and Laxus actually worked well together when it came to running the guild's business side. Although Lucy was not fond of Laxus' pervy moments toward her, she was starting to respect Laxus' judgement whenever he got serious about his leadership role. Awkwardness caused by his rotten personality aside, Lucy was starting to get a handle on the complicated man that was Laxus Dreyer.

"Take the rest of the day off and make sure you get something to eat, Blondie. We've gotten a lot of this mess caught up because of your typing skills, so make sure you take care of yourself." Laxus' deep voice rumbled as the skritch-scratching of his fountain pen echoed within the room.

"Thanks for the compliment, but I really wish you'd stop calling me Blondie, Laxus. We're both blonds after all!"

A chuckle greeted Lucy's ears. "But, you're so fun to annoy that I can't help but tease you, Blondie. Gotta have a little bit of fun while I'm trapped in this God forsaken office catching up the backlog."

"Whatever's clever, Sparkles! So, you want me to get Mira to send something up while I'm downstairs?" Lucy asked as she got up and headed toward the door. It was not as if Lucy could really fault the man for having a strange sense of humor.

"Sparkles huh?" Laxus lifted his head with an amused twitch of a thick eyebrow. "Trying to get even for your nickname I take it?"

"All's fair if you get to annoy me to amuse yourself while we're working." Lucy quipped with a hand on her hips and a smirk on her lips.

"Hey, I don't sparkle, but you're a genuine blond." Laxus grumbled as his eyebrow twitched yet again.

"Lightning sparkles quite a bit during thunderstorms I'll have you know. So if the magic fits . . ."

Laxus shook his head and chuckled. "Fine, Blondie. Just keep your smart assed mouthy crap confined to the office. Get a beer and a meatball grinder with extra cheese sent up for me. I've still got to read the new Magic Council regulations packet that Lahar dropped off yesterday before I can quit for the day."

"I'll make sure Mira gets your order done soon." Lucy answered as she opened the door, and looked over her shoulder.

Hearing a grunt of acknowledgment, Lucy smirked at her Guild Master with whom she was saddled long term to save Fairy Tail. Catching the end of Laxus sharp nod of agreement, it did not escape Lucy's notice that Laxus lips remained upturned with amusement as she closed the door and skipped down the stairs to reach the first floor. Since she had learned of how horrible Laxus life had been, and now knew more about the circumstances, Lucy found herself giving the man more leeway when he acted like an asshole. In return, as they worked through the mountains of overdue paperwork, Laxus was giving her less grief overall. Although there were uncomfortable moments when Laxus seemed to fall back into his more perverted habits, things were settling down as they figured out a viable interaction system.

Before Lucy got to the bar to place Laxus' order, Happy was slamming into her chest, forcing Lucy to reflexively grab onto the squirming feline who was blubbering about how much he missed her. Sliding onto a stool, Lucy waved to Mirajane when the white haired woman looked over.

"How long until we can be a team again, Luuussshhy?" Happy whined as he looked up with teary eyes, claws firmly embedded in Lucy's top to prevent her from escaping. Stroking her favorite blue menace, Lucy grinned down at her annoying teammate as she tried to figure out a decent answer to Happy's question.

"Luce! I've missed you! Is Laxus treating you right?" Natsu's raucous voice slamming into her ear drum jarred Lucy as an uncomfortably warm body collided with her back before Lucy could answer the silly cat clinging to her shirt.

Muscular arms wrapped around Lucy's waist and lower ribs, squeezing hard enough to rob her of breath and crush Happy against her. "Calm down. Can't breathe, Natsu." Lucy wheezed as Happy yowled in pain.

The tight hold relaxed as Natsu's pointy chin dug into Lucy's shoulder. "How you feeling, Partner? Sorry for squashing you into Luce, Happy. Do I need to kick Laxus ass for treating you bad, Luce?"

Shaking her head, Lucy chuckled at the rapid spoken, hopeful tone in Natsu's voice. "Seriously, Natsu, Laxus isn't a bad person even if he's awkward when it comes to dealing with people. He doesn't understand how to talk to people without being angry, but that doesn't make him our enemy. I know everyone's angry with Laxus because he took over the guild like he did, but I believe Laxus is honestly trying to save our home. So how about trying to cut Laxus a little slack, and cooperate with him?"

"But he keeps you cooped up in his stupid office with runes that keep me and Happy from seeing you. Plus he's forcing everyone to do really stupid target practice training that doesn't really matter. Me and Gajeel are super bored, and even Popsicle's getting tired of the competition to see who has the better aim lately." Natsu whined as Lucy attempted to gently shrug her best friend off.

Mirajane came to Lucy's rescue as she set a tall glass before Lucy's spot at the bar. "Natsu, Lucy's probably getting uncomfortable with you using her as a full body rest since you're body temperature is so high. She only got cleared from the infirmary two days ago. Burns are really heat sensitive for a couple weeks even after they're mostly healed you know."

Natsu's body yanked back so fast that Lucy feared her best friend would give himself whiplash or yank her over backward onto the floorboards. Grabbing the bar lip, Lucy stabilized before turning on her stool. Lucy smiled as she saw Natsu's hand scraping through the back of his messy hair with a crestfallen look on his face. "Sorry, Luce. I keep forgetting that you're not fully healed yet."

"Don't worry about it, Natsu." Lucy waved a hand before her face.

"You hungry, Lucy?" Mirajane asked as Lucy twirled back around on her stool.

"Actually, can you make Laxus a meatball grinder with extra cheese and a beer, Mira? He's still got a lot of work to do before he can stop for the night. I'd love a teriyaki chicken bowl after you've taken care of Laxus."

"Coming right up." Mirajane answered as she bounced back into the kitchen area.

Turning back to see the rest of the guild's occupants, Lucy noticed that the guild doors opened and a gaggle of women she had never seen before began to file into the room with nervous looks on their faces. The groups of attractive girls were searching for something in the guild it appeared to Lucy.

Rising from her stool, Lucy walked closer to the uneasy looking women. "Can I help you?"

"Uhm, I was wondering if Loke is here?" A lovely blond haired woman asked as she gave Lucy a far too penetrating stare.

"Huh? Who are you and why are you looking for my Loke?" A dark haired girl demanded as her hands tightened into fists.

"Wait. Loke told me we have to break up last night, and then he left. Are one of you the one? Is that why he dumped me last night?"

"I haven't seen Loke recently, but I'm sure I know someone who could tell you if he's on a job right now." Lucy responded in a level tone despite the calculating looks she received.

"Would you happen to know who Loke's chosen for his girlfriend?" A willowy built brunette demanded.

Frowning, Lucy shook her head. "Not a clue. I don't really know Loke very well since he had a bad experience with a celestial mage in the past. Loke always avoids me because he's not comfortable around me."

Mirajane walked over to the group of strange women as her curiosity was piqued. Before she could say anything the gaggle of angry women turned on her with each demanding impossible answers of them both. "I'm sorry but Loke hasn't come to the guild hall this morning, and he doesn't have any jobs at the moment."

"Then where is he? And who did he choose over us?" A black haired woman demanded as the other girls compared their situations and realized that they were all dumped as Loke's girlfriends at the same time.

Memories of her last stilted conversation with Loke, specifically when Loke had asked if she understood how fallen stars that could not return to the heavens would feel sliced through Lucy's conscience. Although looking at all of girlfriends gave Lucy a wave of disgust over Loke's lame pick up lines and womanizing, she also felt a frisson of true alarm that something was very wrong. Something was nagging Lucy's mind that she could not quite understand, and it was now resurfacing with a vengeance. Turning on heel, Lucy raced out of the guild. Intent to get home so she had privacy, all thoughts of Laxus' orders that she was not to leave the guild alone were forgotten. Ignoring the canal lip in favor of making time, Lucy hurried down her street and got into her apartment without any difficulty. Unable to place the nagging worry that was rising within, Lucy grabbed Crux's key from her ring to summon him.

"Gate of the Southern Cross, I open thee. Crux!"

"Hummooh." Crux gargled his greeting with his eyes closed and his legs crossed as he floated in the air.

"Grandpa Crux, would you please use your power to see if you can uncover who the Celestial Spirit mage was that had ties in the past to my guild mate named Loke please? I think they may have dated because of how much Loke distrusts me without my having done anything to him." Lucy explained to the floating spirit.

Crux began snoring as he researched the information requested within the Celestial World. As her magic began to drain, Lucy got up to get a drink. Returning to her bed, Lucy was getting comfortable again when Crux bellowed as his eyes opened and bugged out with shock.

"Yeeeeoooooowwwwwwww!"

"Did you find something?" Lucy asked.

"Huuhmah, I can't get too detailed because personal information is always protected in the spirit world. Still, I can tell you that the Celestial Spirit Mage who was associated with Loke Sama was Karen Lilica."

"Karen Lilica? The super famous Celestial Spirit Mage who did all those photo shoots for Sorcerer's Weekly? I heard she died a couple years ago during a mission." Lucy shrieked as she stared drop jawed at her spirit.

"Yes. Karen Lilica Sama is dead, Lucy Sama."

"I think she was with Blue Pegasus. So what was the relationship between Loke and Karen I wonder?"

"Kooohmaah, I'm sorry, but I'm unable to give you any more information." Crux answered and shut down before Lucy could hope to get anything else out of her spirit.

Sitting on her bed, Lucy tapped her chin as she recalled the few conversations she had with her fellow guild mate. It had not escaped Lucy's notice that something about Loke's magic felt very familiar, even comforting, despite his being a ring mage. Thinking about things Loke had said while contemplating Karen's possible connection with him, two things suddenly surfaced. The first being when Lucy recalled Loke's hug at a restaurant while he claimed he did not have long to live. He had brushed it off with a chuckle and called it a pickup line. The second most impact laden moment was when Loke asked Lucy if she had any idea how sad a star feels when it falls from heaven while they were looking at the night sky. With every thought that kept the wheels spinning, conjectures and facts began whirling ever faster within Lucy's mind.

Links between things said and seen began forming as Crux faded from sight. Similarities between Crux's energy and Loke's surfaced and locked into place as the similarity of feeling struck a harsh chord within Lucy's magic. Reeling from the sudden shocking certainty that Loke was a cursed Spirit, Lucy felt her vision waver. The suspicion that Loke was a Celestial Spirit given the death sentance froze Lucy for several minutes as the facts that made her believe such continued to dance and lock into place no matter how she sought to deny what she already knew.

As her body unlocked because the shock began wearing off, Lucy lunged to her bookcase and yanked down her collection of Sorcerer's Weekly magazines that she had collected. Lilica had been one of Lucy's favorite mages to follow not so long ago, so it did not take long to uncover the last issue that had featured Lilica's funeral and subsequent burial mound information. Reading through the information, Lucy grabbed a map and quickly figured out the best possible route to attempt and head Loke off before he did anything else.

Lucy wanted answers to her hunch about Loke's possibly getting punished by the Celestial Ruler for a crime he may have committed. Considering how attractive Karen Lilica was during life, it would not be hard to imagine that the playboy had broken the sacred laws and slept with his key wielder. If Loke was a Celestial Spirit who had slept with his contracted Mage, there was nothing Lucy could do for the man except watch him fade from existence. However, Loke was one of her guild mates. As a guild mate Lucy felt it was her duty to try and find a way to help Loke to survive.

Mind made up Lucy grabbed her wallet and raced out of her door, determined to find and confront the ginger haired playboy. If her suspicions were correct, it was still possible that there were extenuating circumstances that might allow Lucy to force his gate open so that he could gain some kind of access to legal council in the event that he had caved because of his master's wishes. Lucy would not put it past a fellow Celestial wizard seeing as how often the masters abused their spirits.

Intent upon getting to the fallen star that needed her help, Lucy got a ticket at the train station so she could get to Karen Lilica's grave. It was the only lead that made any sense to Lucy under the circumstances. It was not unheard of for a Celestial Spirit to become very attached to a bloodline due to an ancestor and dedicate their lives to a number of generations of Stellar mages when a particularly beloved master died. In either instance, Loke could have been coerced to be Karen's lover, or worse, refused to make contracts after a bloodline died out. Either action did have enough weight in the end to cause Loke to be cast out of the heavens. One had a reversible penance. The other was something Lucy was uncertain about, but it would not hurt to try and help. Getting answers would allow Lucy some leeway to figure out how best to proceed, and that meant finding Loke fast.

It did not take long for the train to arrive at her destination and Lucy was quick to disembark from the train. Racing to the outskirts of the mid sized community, Lucy found the well marked trail to Karen Lilica's grave. As expected Loke was there, looking forlorn as he stared at a large tomb stone with a bell and arch engraved at the top.

"Loke?!" Lucy called as she hurried down the earthen lip that jutted out over a three sided waterfall.

"Lucy?!" Loke asked, mildly slack jawed and staring in shock.

"Thank goodness I found you. Is that Karen's grave?" Lucy asked to break the awkward silence. "Celestial Mage, Karen Lilica, the mage who was your key owner. Am I right, Celestial Spirit Loke? Or would you prefer if I call you Leo, the Lion spirit?"

The orange haired man dipped his head, a sad, regret laden twist to his lips as Loke stared at the ground between them. "Congratulations. You did very well to realize that I'm a Celestial Spirit, Lucy."

Lucy refrained from snorting at the orange haired man with difficulty as her concern mounted over a spirit being trapped in the human world. "Well, I am a mage with a fair number of spirit contracts. So I did figure out the truth about you once I called out another spirit and realized why your magic felt so familiar. Things that you said suddenly made perfect sense. Sorry I didn't realize things sooner. But I'm curious because when a key owner dies, the contract is automatically nullified. The spirit is forced back into the Celestial Spirit world until a new owner calls them. Karen died, nullifying your contract, so I'm wondering why you're still in this world. The fact that you're still in the human world means that something happened that keeps you from returning to the spirit world. Am I right? We humans can't survive in the spirit world anymore than a spirit can live long in the human world. Being here drains your spirit life force slowly. If you don't return soon, you'll cease to exist."

"It's been three years since Karen died and I've been here the whole time." Loke answered in a sorrowful voice.

Lucy's jaw loosened as she stared in horror at Loke. "Three years?" Lucy shrieked. "How did you manage to survive more than a year? Any other spirit would have died after a few months!"

Loke turned to the side, glancing again at the grave marker. "Yeah, I've gone beyond my limits, so it seems I've run completely out of strength."

Horrified by Loke's words, Lucy's eyes widened as her hands clenched at her sides. "I might be able to save you! Tell me why you can't return to your home so I know what I need to do to open your gate for you!"

Loke turned his head aside, his own hands tightening into fists. "You don't need to save me because I don't deserve saving."

"What are you saying? If you don't return to the Spirit World right away, you're going to die!" Lucy yelled at the Constellation Spirit's back.

"The reason I can't go home is because I broke the most fundamental rule between owner and spirit. Because I broke the law, I've been banished from the Celestial World for all eternity. I was given the death sentence, Lucy." Loke's voice flowed over his shoulder as the spirit stared at his last key owner's tomb.

Lucy felt her heart plummet into her toes as her worst fears were verified by the resigned words coming from the Spirit's mouth. Yet Lucy could not help but wonder which of the unpardonable crimes Leo was charged with to get him cast out of the Celestial Spirit World. In Lucy's opinion, only a spirit that broke the rules on purpose should be punished. If Loke's previous key wielder was abusive, then Loke should not be banished for trying to protect himself in Lucy's opinion.

"Why were you banished for all eternity, Loke?" Lucy demanded, anger and fear warring within her breast. If Loke was being punished for something his key owner had done, as was often the case, Lucy was determined to set things straight.

"I have to pay the penalty for my crime, Lucy. The law must be upheld so I accept that my sentence is death. By the laws of my world, I'm considered a traitor. With my own hands, I killed my last owner, Karen Lilica." Loke explained in a soft voice.

Rooted to the spot, Lucy could only stare at the spirit who had turned to look her in the eyes as he revealed his crime. Mind reeling over the admission, Lucy felt her own spirit rebelling over Loke's admission. Loke's personality did not fit the profile of a cold blooded killer capable of committing murder.

"You killed Karen, your key wielder?" Lucy numbly questioned, hoping she had heard Loke wrong.

Lips compressed in a hard frown Loke nodded once. "Any spirit that kills their master can never return to the spirit realm. My fate is sealed. I'll disappear very soon so I chose to die in front of Karen's grave because it's a fitting end."

"But, that's too sad. Please tell me why you would kill your key's owner, Loke! You're not a murderer, so there has to be some kind of misunderstanding!" Lucy begged for an explanation.

With a heavy sigh, Loke shoved his hands in his pants pockets and turned his head toward the grave marker. "Three years ago, I tried to force Karen to release myself and Aries from our contracts. Karen punished Aries and abused her power over Aries which pissed me off. To Karen it was a kind of game to force Aries to entertain groups of lecherous men that Karen didn't feel were good enough for her."

"How could Karen keep her contracts intact when she was displaying such horrible behavior? Every Celestial Spirit mage learns in the beginning that it's illegal for Spirits to have relationships with humans!" Fury prompted Lucy into motion. Already Lucy's mind was made up and Loke had only begun to explain his actions.

Scraping a hand through spiky orange hair, Loke nodded. "Anyway, when Aries pointed out that she wasn't allowed to take care of groups of random men because she wasn't an entertainment spirit, Karen punished her for back talking. It seemed Karen didn't want to be bothered by her fans, so each time Aries reminded her of the laws, Karen would beat her with a woven reed and bamboo rug beater. Aries and I both had contracts with Karen back then. The final straw for me was when Karen decided to chain Aries with the intention of forcing her to remain in the human world for a full week after the Guild Master caught her abusing Aries. The chains were designed to trap Aries in this world without any way to return home. The time duration was enough to kill Aries so I forced my own gate open with a forced switched place spell. As the former leader of the Zodiac, it was my duty to protect Aries which I was glad to do. I knew that I could last in this world for at least a month or two even though it was going to be agony, but Karen wouldn't be able to open any other gates while I was here due to my using spirit switch. We were nothing but tools to Karen, and she saw no reason to treat us with any respect."

"Oooooohhhh, I hate Celestial Mages who act like that! The law needs to change so that you can defend yourselves! It's not right that you spirits get abused by Mages. You aren't shields! You have feelings!" Lucy interrupted again, her anger getting fiercer and hotter as her magic began to tighten and coil within her core. Determination was solidifying as Loke blinked at her several times.

"Let me finish telling you what happened, Lucy."

With a single nod, Lucy continued to feed her own magic, keeping her magic from exploding as she gathered every drop in preparation for what she had already chosen to do.

"As I was saying, I forced a switch so that Aries was returned to the Celestial Spirit world. I told Karen that I had forced the switch and she needed to leave Aries alone since she had gotten herself into trouble, not Aries. I warned her to let her grievances go because I can overlook lesser mistreatment, but I couldn't forgive major transgressions when it came to the escalating mistreatment that Aries was facing. After my warning, Karen refused to accept responsibility for the trouble she got into with Master Bob. Keeping my gate open took a lot of power, but I didn't care how much it would hurt me to remain in this world if it protected Aries since I am a much tougher battle spirit. Aries who is defensive powers only couldn't possibly take the kind of cruel punishment Karen had planned for her, but I could protect Aries until Karen released us from our contracts which was what I demanded when Karen refused to change her attitude."

Nothing that Loke was saying surprised Lucy in the least. So many of the mages who used the same magic as herself had reputations for treating their spirits terribly, and her own mother had warned her to never behave as if her spirits were property. Sorrow and anger continued to rise within Lucy's breast as Loke continued to speak of the painful, bitter past.

"Karen tried to close my gate over and over again. She wasn't powerful enough to send me back by force. I maintained my gate and blocked her magic so I could state her down. Dissolving mine and Aries contracts was the only thing I wanted. All of the spirits were terrified of Karen gaining their keys after witnessing the abuse Aries was surviving. Karen was an evil person as far as I was concerned. After telling where Karen where she could find me, I left her place and went to stay in an ruin near the Blue Pegasus guild. No matter how much it hurt to be in the human world, I was determined to hang on so that Karen couldn't hurt Aries again. Karen showed up a couple of times and tried to convince me to go back, and when I refused she would kick and pound on me but I was determined to remain. I acclimatized to being in the human world after a while, and began to feel better only to have Master Bob bring the news that Karen disobeyed him and took a mission behind his back. She was counting on the slim possibility of focusing a huge surge of magic to bring Aries out while I was also present. It backfired and her body couldn't handle the strain. Instead of getting Aries, Karen died for her impatience and stupidity."

"It isn't your fault that Karen died, Loke!" Lucy responded.

"My sin was stripping Karen of her life even though I never intended for that to happen. Human life cannot be replaced once someone dies. For all eternity, I robbed Karen of her life. The only way to repent for my sin is to disappear, the same as my actions made Karen disappear."

A wave of magical instability dropped Loke like a falling stone. Screaming his name, Lucy lunged toward the Celestial Spirit, heart pounding and furious at the horrible punishment Loke was subjected to when he did not deserve to be punished at all.

"Looks like it's time to say goodbye. I'm disappearing." Loke managed to say as his teeth clenched.

"What are you saying? You can't die! Nothing you did was unreasonable! Karen was abusing you and Aries, so I'll find a way to change the laws. Hold on while I force your gate open!"

"Thank you for letting me get the opportunity to meet a truly wonderful Celestial Spirit mage before my time was through, Lucy san." Loke managed to say as his body continued to fade in and out. The pained smile that suddenly appeared on Loke's wavering face was more than Lucy could withstand.

"Don't you dare give up! NO! I refuse to accept this unfair ruling! I swear I'll return you to the Spirit Realm so you can recover your life force! This punishment is wrong because you didn't kill Karen! She killed herself and you can't be blamed for her stupidity!"

As he faded in and out at a faster speed, Loke began speaking. "Lucy, give my regards to everyone in Fairy Tail. You can't change the laws."

Tears pooling in her eyes, Lucy wrapped her arms around Leo's shoulders and poured all of her magic into forcing his gate open. "Gate of the Lion, I open thee! Leo, return to the spirit world! Open Please?!" Nothing happened despite how much magic Lucy poured through Loke's fading form to connect to his gateway.

"Lucy, that's enough. Please stop before you hurt yourself." With the last of his waning strength, Loke grabbed her shoulders and tried to console her.

Fury and pain burning brighter, Lucy snarled, "I won't stop when my friend is disappearing before my eyes!" Digging to the deepest parts of her magic reserves, Lucy unleashed all the power she could explode through the veils to reach the Celestial realm. "I open thee Gate of the Lion!"

Loke was screaming at her, but Lucy ignored his warning to not use so much magic power. Her mission was clear as far as Lucy was concerned. Saving Loke when he was the victim of horrible abuses meant he did not deserve to die. "I said I would return you to the spirit world and I will keep my promise. I'll force open the spirit gate for you! You watch me do it, Loke!"

"Stop it! You'll die! Any spirit that let's their owner die can't return because that's the law, Lucy! Stop before you begin to erode along with me! Stop before you disappear with me!" Loke was screaming over the hurricane of power Lucy was creating, complete with static sparks that flashed around their bodies like miniature lightning bolts.

"I won't let you die because there's no point in my having magic power if I can't save my friends! I'd rather die than fail to save a friend!" Lucy screamed as she dug even deeper into herself to force the gate open.

"Stop it, Lucy! Don't make my sin any worse!" Loke bellowed at her.

"What sin or crime did you commit? The laws are wrong to blame you for Karen's stupidity! I won't tolerate such laws! I'll make sure to change it!" Lucy screamed right back as she slammed ever increasing magic into the gateway trying to break through by pulsing her magic like a battering ram.

Even as her magic peaked, agonizing pain flashing through her body, a strange new magic exploded around her and Loke, knocking them apart, Lucy's magic trying to freeze up on her. Determination allowed Lucy to continue linking her magic to Loke's life force, but she could no longer maintain the flow as if her magic was getting forcefully stoppered by a plug. A split second was all it took for the waterfall to reverse it's course as stars began to swirl and spiral as if trapped within a rotating kaleidoscope before Lucy and Loke's eyes. Grabbing onto the no longer wavering spirit, Lucy clung for dear life as they watched a massive spirit ripple into existence.

"What's that?" Lucy managed to ask while staring at the void that exploded outward, magic flowing into the world to reveal a giant with long white mustache prongs sticking out of his nose.

"It's the Celestial Spirit King. But, Why are you here?" Loke managed to choke out after several heartbeats.

Recovering some of her composure, Lucy demanded to know, "You're the Celestial Spirit King? Are you truly the ruler of the spirits?"

Arms crossed over his chest, the giant began to speak. "Old Friend, you know it is forbidden for we spirits who hold contracts with humans to kill the one who we have made a contract with during the time they hold our key. It does not matter if the death was dealt directly or indirectly as you already know. Leo the Lion, you know that you're no longer allowed to return to the spirit world."

Fury rose yet again as Lucy leapt to her feet, one hand balled into a fist that she shook at the overwhelmingly powerful spirit standing on nothing but air. It infuriated Lucy that the Spirit King was ignoring her presence. "You go too far!"

"Stop it, Lucy!" Loke bellowed at her as Lucy's anger increased exponentially over the callousness the Spirit King was exhibiting.

"Old Friend, Human girl, the law will not be changed."

"How can you say that when Loke's been suffering for three years because he chose to protect his dear friend Aries? What else could he have done?" Fury made Lucy's voice harsh and bitter as she glared up at the Spirit King knowing full well that Loke had no other options than to do what he had done to try and get Aries freed from Karen's evil hold.

"I am pained by my old friend's sentence as well." The King admitted

"Really? What are you talking about? Loke's not your old friend! Your friend is right before your eyes, dying and you'll allow it?! You listen to me you old Mustache Man!"

Lucy saw the giant's eyes widen in shock at being spoken to in such a disrespectful tone, but she no longer cared as she heard him repeat her off the cuff nickname.

Loke's voice interjected, sounding horrified and fearful. "L-Lucy?"

Determined to have her say no matter the consequences, Lucy cut Loke's protests off as she continued to rail at the Spirit King who had no idea what it meant to be a King. "Karen's death was an unfortunate accident! I refuse to believe Loke did anything wrong! As a Celestial Spirit Mage, I won't accept anything less than you acknowledging his absolute innocence! I flat refuse to accept his sentence because of the circumstances!"

Her anger was helping replenish her magic at a rapid pace. Mind reaching toward her own contracted spirits, Lucy let her emotions and intentions flow through the keys residing on her hip. In a matter of a few heartbeats, Lucy called upon every spirit that she had contracted since her childhood, insuring they knew they had a choice to help speak out for a fellow spirit's life. Faith that she would be answered by every spirit she loved if only because so many spirits were abused and treated unfairly flowed through her link to all of her keys.

"Enough, Lucy! I don't want anyone to forgive me because I want to repent for my sins already! Just let me disappear as the law demands!" Loke's voice came out on sobs of heartbreak.

Screaming as her rage gave her a second wind, Lucy let her will explode with twice the force, hair whipping upward as her power slammed into each gate of her contracted spirits to open every single gate at the same time. "You can't disappear! Dying isn't going to bring Karen back! All you're disappearing will do is increase the misfortunes and sadness everyone feels! It should never be a crime to care for your friends!"

"Lucy, you can open this many gates at the same time?! Not even Karen could do something like this and she was stronger than most." Loke's voice reached Lucy's ears as she grimly fought to keep the gates open long enough for all of her contracted spirits to decide whether or not they wanted to stand with her.

Through the sheen of tears, Lucy saw every one of her spirits standing between the grave of a pathetic excuse of a Celestial Wizard, and the condemned Loke, all facing her with determined expressions despite being in the presence of the Spirit King. Satisfied that her spirits agreed with her, Lucy lectured Loke and the King at the same time. "If Leo disappears, then Aries, myself, and every spirit standing here will be filled with sadness! Death is not repenting for a perceived sin or crime at all!"

Feeling her magic collapse, Lucy lost her focus, her magic evaporating without warning. Her legs gave out as the heaviest exhaustion she had ever experienced weighed her body with unbearable weight. Unable to remain on her feet, Lucy fell flat on her face, scarce able to retain consciousness, but determined to continue fighting no matter the cost.

"Lucy!" Loke's pain laced voice reached her, and Lucy gritted her teeth, arms pulling closer to her sides as her hands dug into the dirt beneath her fingers.

"All of my friends came forward to show that they feel the same was I do."

"You're friends?" Loke sounded confused.

Ignoring Loke one last time as Lucy knew she was going to pass out, She managed to leverage herself onto one of her elbows, and turn her head back toward the Spirit King. "If you're a spirit, then you should understand how Loke and Aries felt while they were being abused!"

Loke's hand latched onto her shoulder as Lucy's arm collapsed beneath her weight. "Why are you forcing yourself to go so far for me? Are you trying to follow Karen to an early grave?"

Teeth gritted, nose wrinkling as Lucy found reserves of strength to snarl at the Celestial Spirit King who remained unmoving and silent, Lucy actively began fueling her rage even more. Anything would work so long as Lucy could stay awake long enough to force the Spirit King to answer for the cruelty he was forcing his subjects to endure.

"If my old friend is willing to go so far as to say something like that, then it is possible that the law is in error. Leo indeed committed the crime to protect his comrade Aries. And you, Old Friend, are determined to save Leo. Considering the beauty of the bond I see between you and your spirits, I will make an exception for this unfortunate incident. Leo, I am giving you the right to return to the Spirit Realm."

Joy flashed through Lucy's soul as she shot a thumbs up at the Celestial King. "Looks like you aren't such a bad guy after all, Mustache Man!"

The Spirit King returned her smile with a grin of his own as he continued to speak. "You are hereby given full pardon, Leo. Be grateful for the Stars' Guidance. As you truly wish to repent for your sins, aid your human friend and live long. I believe she is a friend that warrants such care and devotion as to be protected with your very life. That is my condition for your full return to the heavens, Leo."

The stunned gasp Loke unleashed held a wealth of hope and stunned disbelief as the Spirit King shifted into a brilliant four pointed star while the sky vault again began to rotate at an insane speed. As the Spirit King vanished, the waterfall began to plunge back into it's natural flow, water raining down with a thunderous boom as time itself began to flow once more. Exhausted beyond anything she had ever felt before, Lucy smiled as Loke handed her his gate key a moment later. Sleep was dragging her under so fast that Lucy could scarce understand the words flowing out of Loke's mouth as he was drawn back into the spirit world. All Lucy knew for certain was she felt the solid cool surface of a key against her palm. Curling her fingers around as if Loke's life still depended upon her magic, Lucy smiled at her newest spirit as he faded from sight, fear weighing heavy upon his features as he flashed back to his true home. It was the last thing Lucy knew as her mind and body collapsed into the welcome depths of well deserved sleep.

~~oo0oo~~


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Don't own Fairy Tail characters, but I do own any O/C's I devise. My writing schedule's pretty messed up, but I managed to get this Lock Matched chapter out because some of the dialog is from the last chapter, but filtered through Laxus POV. Will be a couple weeks before things start to settle down here as someone is in the hospital for 21 days with me taking care of their dog and helping get the household repairs handled. Plus, I have company visiting from out of state. My Ffnet account is going a tad spastic so if I missed any questions at the bottom of this chapter, I have not yet seen the PM or Review.

CHAPTER 13

Angry over Lucy Heartfilia's blatant disregard for orders, Laxus stomped up to the door of Lucy's apartment with Freed beside him to make sure he made it to the right place. Determined to reprimand his wayward secretary for going home without an escort, Laxus pounded on her front door. His angry pounding yielded no results. Grabbing the door knob, Laxus opened the door and stormed inside wondering how the normally smart woman could do such careless and stupid things as leave her door unlocked. It did not take Laxus long to find a sheet of paper sitting on Lucy's desk that had a number of notes jotted down that related to the guild's most notorious playboy.

From her fast jotted, beautifully penned notes, and Sorcerer Weekly magazines featuring some woman named Karen Lilica, it appeared that Blondie was interested in the ginger haired man. The fact Blondie had fled after Loke's stupid harem of tramps came looking for the man only added to Laxus irritation once he laid eyes on the noted which included questions about Loke's hatred of Celestial Mages.

Glaring over at a subdued looking Freed, Laxus realized that Heartfilia was not at home which angered him all the more. Part of Laxus was downright amused that Blondie thought she could get by with pulling rebellious stunts, while the rest of him was livid over her reckless habit of endangering herself. Worried that the pig headed woman might have been abducted since the door was left unlocked, the whole reason for his orders not to leave the guild without an escort, Laxus increased his magic to his nose. Blondie's slow degrading scent led Laxus toward the train station. Realizing that Blondie may have left town had Laxus cursing the unpredictable woman every step of the way.

Feeling irate over having to hunt down Blondie, Laxus promised himself that once he found Loke, he was going to beat than then banish the playboy from the guild. Far as Laxus was concerned he had every right since Loke's harem created such an inexcusable ruckus that his secretary had fled Magnolia to escape the crazed. Anger sky rocketing again, Laxus found his teeth grinding as he recalled the obnoxious cat fight the crazy females had started inside his guild because of their combined jealousy.

"Freed, looks like Blondie's gone to the train station because of that irresponsible asshole's tramps. I want every able bodied mage in the guild looking for that fucking playboy punk. When he's found, I want him brought back and locked up so I can deal with him when I get back with Blondie."

"Of course, Master Laxus. Would you like me to send Bicks and Ever in case Miss Heartfilia's run into trouble?"

'_When I get my hands on Blondie, I'm going to put her over my knee and smack her sexy ass until she can't sit comfortably for a few days because of this asinine stunt! So help me God, my damned woman better not have gotten kidnaped because of that idiot playboy. I don't have time for this fucking drama. I'm going to beat that moron Loke to within an inch of his life and kick him out of the guild over the shit his whores pulled in my guild! Attacking the Demon was way out of line! If Blondie had stuck around, those idiots would have probably tried to claw her eyes out too. Hope to hell someone knows where Blondie's heading!' _

"I won't need backup. Or are you trying to keep me from giving her some well deserved hell for pulling this fucked up stunt?"

Freed shook his head. "Not at all, Laxus sama. We know that her father is after her, so I was thinking in terms of possible worst case scenarios. After all, Heartfilia san has hired mages to abduct her in the past."

Laxus snarled. "Believe me, if the asshole has hired mages to grab Blondie, the morons are going to wish they never accepted the job when I'm done with them. I'm hoping someone was stupid enough to lay a hand on her so I can pound them into oblivion right now. Might keep that damned reject ring mage alive when I see him next!"

Finding the correct ticket sales person by following Blondie's addictive scent, Laxus began interrogating the mousy woman. "I'm looking for one of my guild members. She has blond hair, and wears tight midriff shirts and short skirts with a belt around her waist that has a key ring and whip attacked. Heartfilia also has a pink Fairy Tail guild mark on the back of her right hand. If you've seen her I need to know everything you saw because she may be in serious danger if I don't find her immediately."

"Oh dear me. It sounds like you're looking for Miss Heartfilia by the description you're giving me. She was alone when she bought her ticket an hour ago. She did seem to me like she was upset about something come to think about it. Do you want to purchase a ticket for the next train to Triad Falls since that's where she went?" The ticket woman looked and sounded very concerned as she offered Laxus the information.

Relieved that the infernal woman left alone, Laxus nodded and paid for a ticket to the same destination. However helpful the ticket booth worker was because Blondie seemed popular with her father's employees, Laxus refused to relax until he got Blondie safely home. Much as he hated trains, Laxus was determined to find the stubborn woman who constantly dared to defy him and drag her home kicking and screaming if need be. Blondie said she would help save Fairy Tail, and Laxus was going to insure she did exactly as she promised. It had nothing to do with the uncomfortable clenching of Laxus' guts once he realized Blondie was no longer in the guild, and nobody had noticed her leave because of Loke's bimbos distractign everyone inside the guild.

The train ride was a mercifully short one. Leaping off the train at the destination, Laxus again focused his magic through his nose and caught Blondie's heady scent. With his long legs, Laxus was soon stomping along a well traveled trail. Relief unclenched Laxus gut the moment his eyes landed upon the blond woman he was annoyed with, alongside the playboy Laxus wanted the beat to death. The pair were standing near a large memorial with a bell centered within a stone arched memorial statue indicative of a famous mage's grave marker.

Although he was still a distance from the pair, it looked to Laxus as if they were arguing which peaked Laxus interest. Irritation rising, Laxus stopped near the trail head and yanked off his headphones to see if he could hear their conversation before revealing himself. Laxus watched as the idiot playboy stared at the elaborate grave marker while Blondie looked angry as she stared at Loke's back.

The guild's playboy expression made Laxus wonder what was up as Loke turned to face Blondie. "Let me finish telling you what happened, Lucy. As I was saying, I forced a switch so that Aries was returned to the Celestial Spirit world. I told Karen that I had forced the switch and she needed to leave Aries alone since she had gotten herself into trouble, not Aries. I warned her to let her grievances go because I can overlook lesser mistreatment, but I couldn't forgive major transgressions when it came to the escalating mistreatment that Aries was facing. After my warning, Karen refused to accept responsibility for the trouble she got into with Master Bob. Keeping my gate open took a lot of power, but I didn't care how much it would hurt me to remain in this world if it protected Aries since I am a much tougher battle spirit. Aries who is defensive powers only couldn't possibly take the kind of cruel punishment Karen had planned for her, but I could protect Aries until Karen released us from our contracts which was what I demanded when Karen refused to change her attitude."

Hearing the manipulative playboy claiming to be a spirit stunned Laxus as much as it angered him. It had to be a lie that the guild's number one man whore was proclaiming himself to be similar to the wacky spirits Blondie called upon all the time. If the man-whore was a magical being who had somehow infiltrated the guild without anyone realizing it, everything was very wrong with how Fairy tail was run. Laxus felt his annoyance grow as he began to wonder about how many things his grandfather had missed while running the guild. Yet the most important questions involved things like why a Celestial Spirit would need to infiltrate Fairy Tail. What was that obnoxious Playboy really after since it should have been impossible for any mage to keep a gate open for several years around the clock. Perhaps the man was lying to play on Blondie's sympathy in hopes of getting laid and chose the con artist card. It was not as if Laxus could blame the other man for lusting after Blondie since she was gorgeous. Nonetheless, Laxus was not about to be beaten when he had his own plans for Heartfilia's .

Hearing the orange haired fool speaking again, Laxus increased his magic to his hearing so that he could decide what he wanted to believe about the other man's insane tale. "Karen tried to close my gate over and over again. She wasn't powerful enough to send me back by force. I maintained my gate and blocked her magic so I could stare her down. Dissolving mine and Aries contracts was the only thing I wanted. All of the spirits were terrified of Karen gaining their keys after witnessing the abuse Aries was surviving. Karen was an evil person as far as I was concerned. After telling where Karen where she could find me, I left her place and went to stay in an ruin near the Blue Pegasus guild. No matter how much it hurt to be in the human world, I was determined to hang on so that Karen couldn't hurt Aries again. Karen showed up a couple of times and tried to convince me to go back, and when I refused she would kick and pound on me but I was determined to remain. I acclimatized to being in the human world after a while, and began to feel better only to have Master Bob bring the news that Karen disobeyed him and took a mission behind his back. She was counting on the slim possibility of focusing a huge surge of magic to bring Aries out while I was also present. It backfired and her body couldn't handle the strain. Instead of getting Aries, Karen died for her impatience and stupidity."

"It isn't your fault that Karen died, Loke!" Blondie snapped at the man's long winded pity pot. The suspicion that Loke was trying to steal Blondie's affection for a short term romp induced an unwelcome headache in Laxus skull.

"My sin was stripping Karen of her life even though I never intended for that to happen. Human life cannot be replaced once someone dies. For all eternity, I robbed Karen of her life. The only way to repent for my sin is to disappear, the same as my actions made Karen disappear."

A wave of magical instability that Laxus felt slamming through the area dropped Loke like a string cut puppet. Screaming his name, Blondie lunged toward the flickering man. Startled by the bizarre situation, Laxus almost stepped into the open. Yet Laxus smelled new scents that alerted him that several people were approaching. Instead of revealing himself, Laxus slipped deeper into the brush to hide his presence. Laxus waited to see if the newcomers were part of some elaborate set up to trap Heartfilia. People did not waver in and out of existence unless there was some kind of illusion involved as a rule, and Laxus instincts were screaming at him to get ready for battle.

"Looks like it's time to say goodbye. I'm disappearing." Laxus heard the ginger haired man say.

"What are you saying? You can't die! Nothing you did was unreasonable! Karen was abusing you and Aries, so I'll find a way to change the laws. Hold on while I force your gate open!"

"Thank you for letting me get the opportunity to meet a truly wonderful Celestial Spirit mage before my time was through, Lucy san." Unable to see the look on the illusion's face, Laxus grit his teeth and caught himself before he began growling. If Blondie weren't in the way, Laxus knew he would be better able to determine what was going on as the magic pressure near the memorial skyrocketed.

"Don't you dare give up! NO! I refuse to accept this unfair ruling! I swear I'll return you to the Spirit Realm so you can recover your life force! This punishment is wrong because you didn't kill Karen! She killed herself and you can't be blamed for her stupidity!"

Again Laxus heard a softer, pain filled tone lacing Loke's voice as he began speaking. "Lucy, give my regards to everyone in Fairy Tail. You can't change the laws."

Without warning, Blondie was grabbing onto the playboy's shoulders and began to glow gold as her power exploded around them in a whirlpool of visible magic. "Gate of the Lion, I open thee! Leo, return to the spirit world! Open Please?!"

"Lucy, that's enough. Please stop before you hurt yourself." A feeling of helplessness engulfed Laxus as he watched Fairy Tail's most notorious womanizer grabbing Blondie's shoulders while begging her to stop trying to save him.

Much to Laxus shock and increasing surprise, Blondie roared in a tone that sounded like barely constrained rage as her magical pressure increased roughly four fold. "I won't stop when my friend is disappearing before my eyes! I open thee Gate of the Lion!"

Laxus was staggered by the magical pressure that shifted into a palpable, painful force as static discharges reminiscent of his own magic began to pop and crackle around Blondie's body. Floored by Blondie's elevated magical levels, Laxus listened as Lucy Heartfilia continued to rant while holding onto the wavering body of Loke, the ring Mage.

"I said I would return you to the spirit world and I will keep my promise. I'll force open the spirit gate for you! You watch me do it, Loke!"

Laxus felt his jaw loosen as Blondie's power shot even higher. _'Where is all this insane magical pressure coming from? How the hell has Blondie hidden precisely how powerful she is? If this was the kind of power that Blondie normally contains within her self, she's a lower level A ranked mage. No wonder she was able to beat Bickslow and survive three of my thunder Palace Lacrimas.' _

"Stop it! You'll die! Any spirit that let's their owner die can't return because that's the law, Lucy! Stop before you begin to erode along with me! Stop before you disappear with me!" Laxus heard the playboy screaming at Blondie yet again.

"I won't let you die because there's no point in my having magic power if I can't save my friends! I'd rather die than fail to save a friend!" Lucy screamed as she continued to expend insane power. Although it would be a while before she was ready for S class rank, Laxus knew the young woman would become an S class as her control and technical expertise evolved enough to improve her mission scores.

"Stop it, Lucy! Don't make my sin any worse!" Loke continued to scream at Blondie.

"What sin or crime did you commit? The laws are wrong to blame you for Karen's stupidity! I won't tolerate such laws! I'll make sure to change it!" Lucy yelled right back, even more static and bolts of magic flashing and whirling ever faster around their bodies.

Sensing that Blondie's reckless maneuver was going to destroy her power, Laxus decided he needed to interfere before she ruptured her own magical vessel. Rising from his crouched position, Laxus found his muscles locking as a strange new magic inundated the area and flung the duo apart. A split second was all it took for the waterfall to reverse it's course as stars began to swirl and spiral at a dizzying pace. Laxus found himself unable to move although he saw everything happening. Much to Laxus vexation, Lucy grabbed onto the annoying ginger haired man as if intending to shield him from whatever spell was being cast on the area.

As Laxus stared at the monument, a giant sized spirit at least two stories tall flowed into existence at the end of the rock overhang. The spirit looked like an ancient Samurai warrior by garb and had a long white mustache sticking out of his nose. The power radiating off the giant alarmed Laxus since he could not interfere while trapped in the spell's effects. Ruby eyes that reminded Laxus of actual gemstones more than real eyes connected with his own. In the space of a heartbeat, Laxus felt as if his mind, heart and soul were getting invaded on levels that infuriated him. The sensation of getting his mind read did not ease, nor did the magic pressure that was greater than anything Laxus had ever faced.

Shock did not begin to cover the emotions spiraling through Laxus as he realized that Loke's sunglasses were hovering in the air as space itself was frozen in place. For some reason, the guild's playboy and Blondie were both able to move, yet Laxus was only able to hear and see everything happening.

'_Who the hell is this new guy, and what the fuck does his mage want with my Blondie? Wait! Why the fuck am I trapped, but that fucking whore and Blondie can still move around? Son of a bitch! If Loke's involved with all the attempts to kidnap Blondie, I'm going to kill the little bastard! I need to fucking move so I can protect her!'_

"What's that?" Blondie's voice sounded uneasy.

"It's the Celestial Spirit King. But, Why are you here?" The damned playboy actually was a spirit it seemed, and for some reason it appeared that the bastard's kinsman had arrived to deal with them both.

Returning to her feistier self, Blondie rounded on the insanely powerful being hovering on thin air as if she was facing off with any common person she had reason to be mad at. "You're the Celestial Spirit King? Are you truly the ruler of the spirits?"

Arms crossed over his chest, the giant began to speak but it did not take a genius to realize it was telepathic communication as the spirit's words reverberated in Laxus' skull like thunder crashing inside his brain. "Old Friend, you know it is forbidden for we spirits who hold contracts with humans to kill the one who we have made a contract with during the time they hold our key. It does not matter if the death was dealt directly or indirectly as you already know. Leo the Lion, you know that you're no longer allowed to return to the spirit world."

Blondie looked even madder as she leapt to her feet, a tiny fist shaken in obvious defiance. As difficult as Laxus found it to breathe because of the obscene pressure the spirit was giving off, seeing the little socialite not only standing, but outright challenging something so powerful was downright incomprehensible to Laxus. "You go too far!"

"Stop it, Lucy!" Loke bellowed at the pig headed woman that was driving Laxus more than a little crazy each and every day he worked with her.

"Old Friend, Human girl, the law will not be changed." The giant's voice resonated with a strength that would have knocked Laxus to the ground had he not been frozen in place, as everything else was likewise locked.

"How can you say that when Loke's been suffering for three years because he chose to protect his dear friend Aries? What else could he have done?" Hearing Blondie's indignant screaming kept Laxus focused upon her as she faced off with a spirit so deadly that Laxus found himself bordering true intimidation.

"I am pained by my old friend's sentence as well." The King spoke in a calm tone that Laxus did not think boded well for Blondie. Part of him wished the woman would exercise enough good sense to shut up.

"Really? What are you talking about? Loke's not your old friend! Your friend is right before your eyes, dying and you'll allow it?! You listen to me you old Mustache Man!"

Laxus saw the giant's ruby eyes widen as the monarch of the spirits repeated her dim-witted nickname for him in very shocked tones. If Laxus could have moved he would have teleported to the insanely angry woman's side and shifted her into lightning to save her from her own morality induced suicidal level rage in a heartbeat.

Playboy sounding horrified and fearful which Laxus could not help but agree with as he tried to force his own frozen muscles and magic to function. "L-Lucy?"

"Karen's death was an unfortunate accident! I refuse to believe Loke did anything wrong! As a Celestial Spirit Mage, I won't accept anything less than you acknowledging his absolute innocence! I flat refuse to accept his sentence because of the circumstances!" Blondie's blinding anger made her reckless as she continued to berate the giant powerhouse in front of her.

"Enough, Lucy! I don't want anyone to forgive me because I want to repent for my sins already! Just let me disappear as the law demands!" Loke was damned near sobbing as he tried to convince the crazed woman to stop what she was doing

Screaming in pure unadulterated frustration, blondie's magic exploded with twice the force, hair whipping upward as her power blasted free of all constraints. "You can't disappear! Dying isn't going to bring Karen back! All you're disappearing will do is increase the misfortunes and sadness everyone feels! It should never be a crime to care for your friends!"

"Lucy, you can open this many gates at the same time?! Not even Karen could do something like this and she was stronger than most." Awe spread across Loke's profile as the orange haired punk half turned so Laxus could see the man's expression.

As the power climbed ever higher multiple spirits were suddenly standing between the Celestial King and the condemned Loke. If he could have moved a muscle Laxus knew his jaw would be dropping the same as Loke's so obviously had. Considering how much magic Freed claimed it took to open a single gate, Laxus was seeing the impossible happening before his stunned eyes.

Lucy Heartfilia went right back to lecturing the Spirit King as if she was doing nothing unusual. "If Leo disappears, then Aries, myself, and every spirit standing here will be filled with sadness! Death is not repenting for a perceived sin or crime at all!"

Much to Laxus horror, Lucy's magic evaporated, her spirits vanishing without warning. Unable to move, Laxus watched as the stubborn woman fell flat on her face beside the already half collapsed spirit she seemed obsessed with saving.

"Lucy!"

Unable to understand where Blondie was getting even the tiniest slivers of residual strength to still move, Laxus watched as Lucy Heartfilia managed to get her arms closer to her sides as her hands dug into the dirt beneath her fingers. Nobody had the kind of strength required to get back on their feet after such a long expulsion of extreme power. The level of tenacity required to do what Blondie had already managed was beyond Laxus ability to accept he was seeing in action.

"All of my friends came forward to show that they feel the same was I do." Lucy's voice was steady and strong, a testament to how determined the woman was to win an impossible fight.

"You're friends?" The confusion in the Playboy's tone was so obvious that Laxus could not help but feel as if Loke was channeling his own question.

Without giving any explanation, Heartfilia got herself up onto one of her elbows, and turned her head back toward the Spirit King. "If you're a spirit, then you should understand how Loke and Aries felt while they were being abused!"

Fear stuttered Laxus breathing as Loke caught Blondie by her shoulder before she slammed back into the ground and bruised herself even more. Had he been able to move, Laxus would have shaken the crazy woman's teeth loose while bellowing at her over going so far overboard with her magic use. At the rate she was using up her reserves, Laxus feared she was going to be exceedingly ill after everything was said and done. Magical depletion illnesses were a nightmare to endure, and Blondie was going to be very sick for a couple weeks if she managed to survive the seventy two hours it was going to take before her body could begin to recover considering the vast quantities of power she had exhausted.

"Why are you forcing yourself to go so far for me? Are you trying to follow Karen to an early grave?" Loke was demanding in a frantic voice.

"If my old friend is willing to go so far as to say something like that, then it is possible that the law is in error. Leo indeed committed the crime to protect his comrade Aries. And you, Old Friend, are determined to save Leo. Considering the beauty of the bond I see between you and your spirits, I will make an exception for this unfortunate incident. Leo, I am giving you the right to return to the Spirit Realm."

Another wave of shock slammed through Laxus system as Lucy managed to move again and speak in a tired yet contented voice. "Looks like you aren't such a bad guy after all, Mustache Man!"

The Spirit King flashed an unexpected grin. "You are hereby given full pardon, Leo. Be grateful for the Stars' Guidance. As you truly wish to repent for your sins, aid your human friend and live long. I believe she is a friend that warrants such care and devotion as to be protected with your very life. That is my condition for your full return to the heavens, Leo."

'_Centuries have passed without a single mortal being able to call out to me from your distant world loud enough that I could use their power to hear their plea. Discover your own heart's intentions so that you can become worthy of such a powerful and rare woman, Dragon Slayer. I will not tolerate harm befalling this brave, and pure hearted Celestial Mage. She is befitting the long lost royalty that once reigned over all Celestial Mages during a time you're world has forgotten. I will keep a close watch over this woman from now on. Lucy Heartfilia has earned my respect, and gratitude, mortal. I am in her debt, and I will return to protect her if you and Leo fail to do so. She may be the prophesied Celestial Princess. Only time will tell.' _The giant's voice crashed through Laxus mind as those eerie gemstone eyes bore into his own.

With those words, Laxus watched the Spirit King shift into a brilliant four pointed star while the sky shifted to look like a rotating tunnel. Laxus felt his muscles unlock as the waterfall plunged back into the chasm below. Staggering over the sudden liberation of straining muscles, Laxus plunged into the open. Golden light began to radiate around the Playboy as he reached out a hand to Blondie who somehow managed to grasp his hand in return.

"Shit! You have to get up and run, Lucy! I can't protect you until I've stabilized in the spirit realm!" The spirit bellowed as he faced the trail head.

Seeing several people trotting out into the open, Laxus addressed the fading spirit. "Blondie's going to be fine. You should realize by now that nobody messes with what's mine and gets away with it."

"I'll hold you to that promise, Master Laxus." Loke's voice drifted to his sensitive ears as the spirit winked out.

With a thought, Laxus flickered into lightning and landed between the unconscious trouble magnet that Laxus found himself increasingly surprised by, and the dozen cowl hidden strangers closing on her position. Draping his trench coat over the busty blond so she would not lose too much body heat due to complete magical collapse, Laxus found himself anticipating the violence he was about to get to unleash. Lightning cracked and flowed across Laxus skin as he began shifting his magic from his core to his extremities in preparation for melee battle. Whomever the group worked for, they were going to rue the day they heard the name Lucy Heartfilia Laxus silently vowed as a cocky smirk lifted the corners of his lips.

_**Review Questions:**_ My story is not part of the anime manga verse people know. Reviews grumbling about the cannon Fantasia battles involving Loke have ignored the chapter where I stated clearly that _**Lucy fought using Taurus and Virgo in my version of Fantasia! **_Also, Makarov is very much alive and recovering from his heart attack/stroke plus Laxus has the Magic Council enforcing his position as the temporary Guild Master. Sorry that these chapters probably feel boring to some readers as they are somewhat cannon sounding. Yes the mixed up arc inserts are now happening.** I am blending the Nirvana arc with the Fallen Star episodes as of now.** Expect things to be mixed together from now on so that Laxus will evolve in his heart and mind as only Lucy can cause him to change.


	14. Clearing the confusion

Taking 5 minutes this morning [before I start my insanely busy work day] to address the string of complaints I got hit with in the last 48 hours. Some of the commentary in PM and Reviews has gotten a tad snarky and demanding so I need to address those issues before I continue writing/posting this story. I am assuming that such constant complaints [from a few select readers] is happening due to ongoing confusion about what kind of story I am writing. I am addressing the confusion as it's own chapter because a lot of people obviously skip the A/N I include each chapter.

**A/U Mixed up and fused together Arcs, plus Character OOC-ness ,and the Cannon does not go like your story line complaints:** First of all, I am not writing a cannon story line Laxus after the changes he makes because he was excommunicated in the main cannon anime or manga. Nor is Laxus supposed to have the personality he evolved by the time he participated in the G.M.G. of the Cannon time line to get back into the guild. None of that ever happened in my storyline so is absolutely irrelevant to what I am writing here.

Laxus was an egotistical jerk before he got kicked out of the guild in the real anime and manga so that is how I am writing him in this story line even though I am changing out some of his cannon personality traits on purpose for this story. Laxus has not learned that he needs to be considerate of others yet, so expect him to remain a manipulative, conniving, egomaniac for several more chapters. I am writing full blown egomaniac version Laxus so that Lucy and company can teach him how to become a decent human being. Otherwise, this story line would not exist. For those who want Cannon Fairy Tail characters, please visit Fairy Tail TV and watch an anime marathon or go to the sites that host the manga. I have no intention of truly writing the cannon show or manga although I will add certain scenes with a twist in my story as needed to further the main plot.

Furthermore, **Lucy fought using Virgo and Taurus in my Fantasia version , not Loke** as this story is happening in a different world from the cannon. If it will help certain readers to understand this story line, think of my story in terms of what the creator of Fairy Tail did when he included the Edolas Arc in the actual Anime. I'm borrowing the same ideal for writing this story which means I am writing a very different cast of characters. This story is happening in a different universe from the Cannon Earthland of the anime and manga.

_**E.G. Edolas Natsu= Timid/Shy. Earthland Natsu= Fearless/ Reckless. Edolas Gray= wears 50 layers of clothing no matter how hot the climate. Earthland Gray= Strips constantly and loses his clothing. Edolas Wendy is an adult. Earthland Wendy is a child.** _Hope these examples help clear up all the ongoing confusion about out of character behaviors for everyone.

**Laxus on Pedestal or stop being a Stupid fan girl complaints:** Please visit Writer's Digest dot com, or any other Publishing Trade Industry Novel Writing workshop site to learn about correct Point of View writing techniques. Looks like I am nailing character immersion techniques or I would not be getting flooded with this complaint in my PM box plus seeing it crop up in a few reviews. The fact is I went to college for Print Media and Psychology, and graduated during early 1990's. I write P.O.V. based upon accepted published novel criteria. All Laxus controlled chapters reflect Laxus' mind sets including his delusional feelings so that the reader is sitting on Laxus shoulders to see events through his egomaniac lens. [half way decent P.O.V. will put the character's brain/emotions on display] Laxus believes he is superior to the other Fairy Tail characters like Natsu so he is the one bashing Natsu and company. When reading a Laxus controlled chapter expect to read the story as Laxus sees things. Such a delusional, arrogant character will ignore their own flaws, or worse actively pretend that their flaws belong to a different character to escape their own responsibility. Psychology teaches that projection of flaws is a normal human trait.

**Post Chapters Faster:** This is directed solely to the younger, or outright narcissistic? group hounding me in PMs; I understand that you're bored because school's out for the summer. I've dealt with my own kids boredom each summer break for several years now. I'm glad that you like this storyline enough to spend time reading it even.

However, an adult's real life demands/stress make frequent chapter posting impossible for me to indulge. Adults don't get summer vacations lasting several weeks with zero responsibilities if we ever get a vacation at all! My last literal vacation happened 6 years ago. Adults with families have to bust our asses to keep our family fed, clothed, and in a stable home so please cut me some slack here!

If you don't want to believe me then look at your own mom and dad's lifestyle, and face such facts squarely please. I have nut-mash for brains many evenings and am holding a large family together in the wake of a death in my own private life.

I got everyone's loud spoken message that the entwined chapters experiment pissed off and bored some readers so I obviously cannot use that tactic at all in corrupting the actual storyline without offending you guys so you will have to wait for me to have a functioning brain so I can be original before I will post another chapter to this story line. I will post whenever my fried brain functions well enough to write new chapters. _**Please Stop**** with the demands that I post two or more chapters each week**_ because it will never happen. I have bills to pay each month, the same as your own parents pay their bills so you have internet for playing, and food to eat for your survival needs. Erratic posting of chapters is not happening to annoy anyone on purpose. I have a life outside of internet playing.

Okay, rant's finished. time for me to get to work.


	15. Chapter 14

A/N: Don't own Fairy Tail characters. **Let the wacky mix-n-match/fusion of arcs continue!** Special thanks going out to everyone who responded to my "confusion clearing Author note." I truly appreciate all the wonderful PM's and reviews filled with kindness that I have received, and especially the ones that let me know I was idea looping in my writing. I feel very fortunate to have gotten alerted to the idea looping I had begun doing because of the huge amount of stress in my personal life. 2 person pov chapter separated by ==oo0oo==.

CHAPTER 14

"What'cha got for me, Hound?" Gajeel asked as he stared down at the tiny, huddled figure that had dropped onto the ground several feet away to gain his attention.

The frayed, threadbare, dirty cloak scarce concealed everything these days. Knobby knees and spindly, dirty lower legs poked out of holes giving testament to the reality that the cloak needed replacing soon. Knowing the small girl hiding herself behind it's dubious folds, the thing would fall apart before Hound would accept a new one. A street rat for as long as the kid could recall, Hound was the ultimate authority when it came to information gathering because of her horrific past.

Gajeel had offered the kid a place to live, if only because something about her half starved state bugged him, ever since he was a member of Phantom Lord. The girl always refused his help, but considering her voice was partially ripped from her when she was a very young child, Gajeel could not fault her for her ongoing paranoia about stable homes. The many scars that marred her emaciated frame were testament to how vile evil people could be when they so chose.

"It seems a dangerous storm's coming." The soft whispered, hoarse reply fluttered like a bird's wing across Gajeel's ears as the waif stood to face him.

Hound had been instrumental in Gajeel gaining S class status as an infiltrator and spy after he joined Phantom Lord. Her information proved invaluable time and again. It was as if Hound was integral to many of Gajeel's accomplishments, so when she said a storm was coming, Gajeel took her thready words to heart. The kid had proven that she had more honor and integrity than the vast majority of people Gajeel had ever met. Hound was the kind of person who never stole anything because it felt wrong to her. Perhaps it was her raw magical talent which Gajeel helped her to gain control over that forced her to be so trustworthy. Instead of becoming a cut throat like other orphaned children, the crazy kid got into the habit of eavesdropping for her survival long before Gajeel ever crossed her path. Somewhere along her short lifetime, Hound realized that things she overheard were dangerous, as her thickly scarred throat attested in silent rebuke of the world.

Recognizing how deadly some information she heard was to Fiore's citizens, including her own miserable life, Hound began seeking out select guild affiliated mages with the ability to stop deadly plots in their tracks. All overheard information was carefully weighed and sorted into correct categories, and Gajeel was one of the select few whom Hound trusted enough to share her wealth of dangerous knowledge. If Hound said a dangerous storm was coming, then Gajeel knew shit was going to hit the fan, and body counts would rise fast unless her news could be utilized in time to prevent the outcome the young street rat had already deduced. Gajeel knew that Hound was never wrong because they had a history of working together behind the scenes.

"Understood. Follow me, Hound. I'm sure you could use a real meal instead of the crap you normally subsist on. The talking can wait until you've eaten." Gajeel grumbled as he turned and headed toward a café that had indoor and outdoor seating.

Aware that Hound would be deflecting all attention off of herself, Gajeel stepping into the café, and ordered for both of them at the counter. Satisfied that he was able to do this small thing for Hound, Gajeel headed to the back of the joint. Sliding into a booth, he waited for Hound to reveal herself again. A few moments later, the petite girl slipped back into view, hood removed, glittering blue green eyes dominating her smudged, hunger pinched face. A few strands of her mousy brown hair had escaped the bedraggled cloth tie she devised from the Gods only knew what. The small woman was no bigger than the blue haired Shrimp who practiced solid script magic at Fairy Tail. Yet, unlike Levi, Hound still had the potential to get taller if she ate better.

"How much longer will you insist on staying on the streets, Hound?" Gajeel asked as he gave her a hard stare, arms folded over his chest.

"If I leave the streets, who will tell you when storms are brewing?" Hound's whispered words filled the gap between them.

"You wouldn't be digging in trash cans for meals, and you'd also have a place that's secure to sleep if you take my offer, kid. Having a place to go too, and extra money in your pocket would allow you to be healthier so you'd have more stamina and control over your magic too. My offer isn't meant to force you to stop doing what you want. Just figure it would be a way to make sure I don't lose my number one informant."

A rare smile morphed the solemn faced girl's features into a far prettier visage even as she shook her head. "Too much traveling I gotta do. Besides, being too clean would also be a dead giveaway that I'm not what I seem, Black Steel."

Hound's point was made, and her mind remained settled on living a life most would find unbearable. So long as she was homeless, Hound believed she was never viewed as a real threat by those who contemptuously underestimated her. Several dark wizards learned to rue their carelessness in not recognizing how formidable their greatest enemy actually was when the Hound so chose to seek vengeance.

"Here's your order, Sir." The employee spoke while settling two fully loaded trays on the table with a look of shock plastered on her face.

A glance over at the opposite seat showed Gajeel that Hound had hidden herself again with her magic. Tossing a few jewels at the employee, Gajeel responded. "Great. Thanks."

Once the employee was gone, Hound popped back into sight, practically drooling over the meal laid out before her. Crispy battered chicken strips, french fries, a mixed greens salad, and a milkshake nestled in their respective containers. Having noticed that Hound never made any demands, or spoke of things she liked, Gajeel had paid close attention to what the kid tended to gravitate toward food wise on the occasions she sought him out with important information. Seeing the delight flaring in her eyes told Gajeel that he had made good choices as he began making short work of his first of four large burgers.

"Blacky?" Hound spoke in her thready voice after inhaling several chicken strips.

"Yeah?" Gajeel asked as he reached for a hand full of french fries from his own basket.

"What do you know of your guild mate, Lucy Heartfilia's, power?"

"I know she's a holder type Spirit Mage. I also know that she's unbreakable. Why?"

"The Balam Alliance seeks to take her so that they can use her sealed magic abilities." Hound's hoarse and thready voice squeaked as she spoke.

Gajeel dropped his half eaten burger as he stared at his eating companion. "Why the fuck would they think Bunny Girl has sealed abilities?"

"The women of the Aethers clan are more than Celestial Spirit Mages, Blacky. Her mother's death was due to a corrupted sealing magic which was placed upon her when she was younger to hide her true magical form from sight. The bloodline has the ability to call Spirits, but it is only a side effect of their true magic from what I've overheard."

"Are you saying that Bunny Girl isn't a Celestial mage, Hound?" Gajeel asked as his guts clenched.

"The Aethers clan has a bloodline trait that makes it possible for them to bridge all forms of magical objects, even fuse them into working together as seamless new forms linked through the Aether's bloodline bridge. Your guild mate chose to become a Celestial Mage, but she is foremost a Blood Bridge. Knowing that one Blood Bridge survives, the Balam Alliance has formed a pact with a very dangerous and deceptive man. A man who has far too much power, holds influence over light guilds, . . . and due to his current position, unlimited access to restricted knowledge that allowed him to find Heartfilia." Hound explained before taking a break to attack the salad sitting in front of her.

"Who the hell could possibly fit that description?" Gajeel muttered to himself as he rubbed his chin between his index finger and thumb.

"Jellal Fernandes. He goes by the alias of Seigrain, the Wizard Saint and Magic Council member. A rumor says that he is being controlled by the spirit of Zeref, but I figure there must be a mind controller of rare power behind Jellal's dual behavior. A branch of the Balam Alliance called Oracion Seis seeks an ancient weapon of vast power. Jellal has completed a weapon of terrifying potential, but needs a power source to complete it. They have come to an accord to work together to seize an incomplete magical machine called Eclipse. They require a mage who can fuse the three together to rule the world by recreating all we currently know into a very different place."

"If the Magic Council is in on this shitty plan, we're so fucked!" Gajeel spat on a soft, rage filled snarl.

Hound shook her head. "They do not know Seigrain is Jellal. They believe them to be different people."

"Kid, I need you to talk to Fairy Tail's acting Guild Master. You willing to do that for me?" Gajeel asked Hound who nodded sharply. "Finish eating. I'll make sure you get compensated a lot more than normal for this information. We've got far more to save at stake than ever before." With those words, Gajeel was quick to inhale his meal as Hound followed suit.

==oo0oo==

It appeared Heartfilia's father was desperate to get his daughter back like Gajeel had reported. Lightning crackled and danced over Laxus skin in increasing waves as he watched several cowl shrouded strangers form a semicircle to block any escape for him and Blondie. Unable to see their faces, or guild marks, Laxus could only speculate about the group's affiliation. Whichever guild they belonged to, Laxus would have to lodge a complaint with the Magic Council to keep Lahar from disbanding Fairy Tail after he finished them off. It felt as if one, possibly two of the mages were S class to Laxus senses.

"If you're thinking you can take Blondie, you're in for a world of pain."

Several of the hidden mages chuckled as one stepped closer. "I think you'll find that you're the one who's in for a world of pain since you are completely outclassed, Laxus Dreyer."

Snorting his contempt, Laxus cracked his knuckles. "Big words from an asshole that's too frightened to even show his face. I've already figured out that there are a couple S class mages in your group by feeling the magic surrounding you. The rest aren't going to be hard to beat down because they're weak."

Another concealed mage spoke. "Arrogance is often the foundation of a man's undoing. We shall see who is undone first. You, or us? Either way, we will leave here with Heartfilia. She's too valuable to leave in the hands of such a blind fool."

Holding his temper in check was difficult for Laxus. Being called a blind fool by the haughty sounding stranger was like pouring gasoline on an open flame. Rage fueled Laxus magic which intensified the overall strength of each static heavy pulse of power crawling along Laxus' arms. Nobody was taking the woman Laxus had his eyes upon until he was done playing with her. Once he had his fill of the sexy little debutante, then Laxus might be inclined to allow her to do as she pleased. Until then, Laxus had need of her skill set, and planned on enjoying her buxom body to the fullest.

"I'll simply take her back because I'm not afraid of her old man's wrath. Blondie's part of my guild, and she's going to stay with me." Laxus snarled in return.

"You are laboring under a number of misconceptions. Far be it for myself, or my colleagues to enlighten an oaf such as yourself since you seem to prefer to delude yourself about such ideals as strength among other things. Your self prescribed delusions make the game all the more entertaining, Master Laxus." The same cultured tone came from the shorter of the two most powerful members of the opposition.

Eyes narrowing, Laxus refrained from growling at the snide tone through sheer force of will. The pair were seeking to goad him into action, but that would open a path to Blondie. Keeping his temper under control was necessary if Laxus was going to push them to make the first move. Due to the number of opponents, Laxus knew he needed to gain information about their magic types and fighting power to devise the best offensive and defensive strategy available considering the less than ideal terrain.

While Laxus kept his senses on high alert, several cloak wearing enemies lunged at him, obviously tired of the stand off. Within two moves, Laxus dropped four of them as if they were gnats buzzing around his head. Three had fallen with one condescend shockwave, and the last fell with an additional bolt of electricity fired off.

"Unfortunate that your little friends are so incompetent. Hot Eye, I believe your magic will work best. Would you be so kind as to wrap this up? We have more important places to be and too little time to waste."

"Time is money, and money is everything in this world, right!" One of the concealed mages spoke, a hand lifted to slide within his hood, light shining like twin beacons for a split second.

Much to Laxus surprise the ground began to buckle and slide as it turned to quicksand. Seeing that Blondie was beginning to sink, Laxus lunged to grab her only to discover that a blinding light was already beside him, scooping up the unconscious woman and flashing away as fast as Laxus' own Lightning Transport. The second the thought hit, Laxus began twisting his form into his element only to discover that the sucking mud was not the only magic already in use against him. An obscene increase of gravity was dragging Laxus down far faster and harder than his lightning magic could effectively counter.

The combination of attacks were hard to overcome but anger did wonders for Laxus strength. He managed to escape the sinking ground as a lighting bolt and gain enough altitude to see what was at stake. Furious that the mage who dared to try stealing his chosen girl was getting away, Laxus shifted more of his magic into his nose to follow the lingering scent trail. Assuming the other mage was still using a version of speed magic, Laxus shifted back into lightning and took off after the missing wizard. Before Laxus could reach his target, another disguised jerk slammed into him from the side as a burst of gravity forced him back into physical form.

A tsunami of earth whipped up to cover Laxus before he could recover his balance as he was hurtling toward the ground. The weight of the rapidly solidifying stone aided by intense gravity yanked Laxus deeper beneath the surface. Realizing that the enemies were S class mages hell bent on his demise, Laxus flat refused to be entombed within an unmarked grave. Determination spiking, Laxus resorted to a Lightning Dragon's Roar to break free before he was literally crushed and smothered to death inside the earth. Despite the insane gravity making it all but impossible to turn into his lightning form, Laxus managed to escape the fluid ground through brute Dragon Force enhanced muscle.

"I see you, yes."

Those words were fast becoming Laxus most concrete and detested warning of a new earth attack to come. Powering all of his senses to the maximum, Laxus dodged yet another wave of quicksand that sought to bury him alive all over again. With so much of his magic flowing through his senses, instincts were screaming that something was very wrong in his normal perceptions. Unsure of what was going amiss, Laxus could only grit his teeth as he prepared a Lightning Dragon's Heavenward Halberd attack. Flinging the mega charged lightning weapon at the fiend that continued to hurl earth at him, Laxus was able to gain a few seconds of respite as the attack exploded in the enemy's face. For some reason the attack seemed to move far faster than any Halberd Laxus had ever used before.

The gears began turning faster in Laxus mind with that tiny sliver of observation. If his magic was moving far faster than normal, it meant that Laxus was somehow being slowed down. Which mage had the ability to slow him because Laxus main focus in an instant. The need to take out whomever had the power to slow his physical body so dramatically, Laxus decided to use another Dragon Slayer tactic.

"Resounding through the air, roar of thunder, plunge from the heavens and reap destruction! Raging Bolt." The incantation went off without a hitch.

Watching impassively as massive volts of lightning condensed from the atmosphere to rain destruction down upon his enemies, Laxus began to feel the pain throbbing in his one arm and down his side. Seeing that his opponents were twitching and knowing that they were temporarily paralyzed by the electrocution, Laxus realized he had to escape from the group. Feeling the loss of extreme gravity weighing on his form, Laxus knew he had a short window of opportunity to work with effectively. The first priority Laxus had was to get backup to deal with the rest of the group so that he could focus on tracking down Heartfilia's whereabouts. With the last of his magic power, Laxus shifted into lightning body with a clear image of the guild doors in his mind.

Liberated from the slowing magic and the gravity problems, Laxus made excellent time in returning. Landing on the ground, Laxus stumbled, the pain in his side increasing ten fold, as he solidified into his normal body. Crashing into the guild door, Laxus managed to regain his balance and push inside the guild hall where he was soon surrounded by Freed and Gajeel.

"What the fuck happened, Lightning Rod?" Gajeel was the first to speak.

"We got ambushed by multiple S class Mages. They took Blondie after her magic was exhausted and she collapsed from summoning the Celestial King without a key to argue for that dumb fucker's life." Turning to glare at Freed, Laxus continued, "Freed, call off the search for Loke. He's a Celestial Spirit. Blondie's got his key now that she managed to force the Celestial King to rescind Loke's death sentence. We have to get Blondie back from the bastards who stole her which means moving fast before I completely lose her scent trail."

"Where's your coat, Master Laxus sama?" Freed asked as he helped Laxus limp to the bar where he promptly dropped onto a stool with a heavy sigh.

"Had to leave it behind. No idea where it went once that earth mage turned the ground into quicksand. There was a gravity mage and a time mage working with the earth mage. All of them are S class. I managed to hold my own for most of the fight, but they were working together flawlessly to take me out for good. Their combination attacks made it hard as hell to come out on top. I had to withdraw after using Raging Bolt to paralyze them temporarily but their leader got away with Blondie. The leader seems to be some kind of speed mage. I came back here to pick up reinforcements so we can beat the shit out of those bastards and get Blondie back."

Gajeel whistled appreciatively. "Sounds like a vicious fight. You're not going to like what I've got to report, but, my best informant showed up and warned me that something really nasty is afoot. Balam Alliance needs Bunny Girl's magic to make their plan work. Seems Hound got here a little late to bring the news though."

Turning to stare hard at the first generation Dragon Slayer, Laxus felt his temper rising to new levels. The extremely powerful and vicious Dark guild alliance explained why Laxus had so much difficulty beating the trio of mages. Balam was chock full of obscenely powerful black magic using monsters. It made no sense to Laxus that such a dangerous Alliance would want Blondie since she was a nobody in the scheme of magical hierarchies. The only possible explanation was her father's vast wealth and resources.

"I'm not so sure that I would say your friend is necessarily too late. After all, she managed to get me back on my feet again." An authority heavy voice Laxus had not thought to hear again for a long time silenced the few guild members conversations.

Turning to face the direction of the infirmary, Laxus saw his grandfather standing beside a slightly taller ragamuffin who was cloaked in a tattered, smelly garment that belonged in a landfill. "How the fuck . . .?"

"Hound is a very talented young mage. It seems she has the ability to manipulate time and space if she concentrates on the task hard enough. She was able to rewind the essence of Makarov's brain functions to a point before Makarov had the stroke." Porlyusica grumbled as she stalked toward the guild doors. "I'm sure she can do the same for you, Fool." With her parting shot, Porlyusica flung the guild doors open and exited the building.

~~oo0oo~~


	16. Chapter 15

A/N: Don't own Fairy Tail characters, or make any money off this story. To my loyal readers, I love the wonderful reviews, compassionate messages, and want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for all the support my clarification note garnered. For those worried I will abandon this story, never fear. My weird posting schedule caused by my chaotic personal life are not a sign that I will abandon this story. Considering how many people do abandon stories, I understand the concerns. Short of death, I will keep working on both stories. _Flashback/fused conscience sequence._

CHAPTER 15

Mirajane rushed around the bar counter with a large medical kit in hand to take care of Laxus wounds without his having asked for the help. However, Laxus was not in the mood to be tampered with as he swayed on the bar stool upon which Freed helped him get settled. What kind of craziness had happened inside the guild while he was trying to protect Blondie from her own stupidity?

The impossible was staring back at Laxus, wearing what was supposed to be his half dead grandfather's face. Staring at his very alert, and healthy looking grandfather with a wary eye, Laxus noticed that the prior slackness of Makarov's face was gone. No signs were left to give credibility to Makarov ever having a stroke. From the air that was all but vibrating between them, Laxus knew the old man was also back to full magical power.

The last thing Laxus had the luxury of doing was fighting his grandfather over which one of them was the true Guild Master of Fairy Tail. Laxus needed to put a team together to go after Blondie and her abductors effective immediately. Time Ark magic was a lost magic that should no longer exist. According to the sharp tongued tyrant that acted as Fairy Tail's main healer, the filthy looking youngster beside grandpa Makarov was a time altering mage. Very few books even mentioned such magic, much less taught how to wield it. Yet before Laxus eyes stood his grandfather who had made a full recovery over a few very short hours. Beside him stood the person Porlyusica claimed healed him by rewinding time.

Irritation rising to an all time high, Laxus contemplated implementing damage control as he stared at his far too happy go lucky acting grand-sire. Makarov's current happy expression reminded Laxus of the old man's bad habit of hoarding all the rug rats his grandfather could drag home and dumped in Fairy Tail's beer hall to fend for themselves. Makarov was outright grinning at the newest identity hiding individual he had laid eyes upon. The rug rat was too young to be inside the building as far as Laxus was concerned. Knowing the way his grandfather worked, Laxus had half a mind to toss the child out of the Beer Hall before Makarov managed to get attached to her and tried to foist her upon the guild's current members.

Laxus sought to ignore his personal pain long enough to study the ragamuffin Gajeel brought to their guild with a sense of impending dread. The filthy looking stranger would barely top Laxus navel if they stood beside each other was Laxus first impression. His second impression was that the kid needed a serious soak in hot water, bug removing disinfectants, and multiple bars of strong soap with heavy bristle brushes used to scrub off the layers of grime. The final impression Laxus had was that the brat needed real clothing, and to be inside an orphanage instead of roaming the streets.

Teeth grinding to keep from whimpering as Mirajane continued patching his wounds, Laxus knew he was in no shape to take on his grandfather if Makarov chose to take the guild back by force in order to keep the brat. If anything, Makarov would incite a riot to get his way if he decided to bring the filthy urchin into the guild as a full fledge member. According to Gajeel the mystery kid had dangerous news about the most powerful Dark guild Alliance in Fiore to share with them which meant Laxus could not simply toss the brat on the streets without compensation if the information was valid.

"Will someone explain to me exactly what the hell happened after I left for a couple of hours?" Laxus ground out as he watched Makarov patting the slightly taller, dirty stranger standing beside him.

"Gajeel brought this talented young lady to our guild because she has important information to share. She decided to heal me since she's heard that I'm a Wizard Saint, and thinks I may be needed to prevent a great tragedy from happening. Her magic isn't the most comfortable feeling, but it is effective at rebuilding a person's body to a time before the damage occurred."

Gajeel joined the conversation. "Yeah, Hound's always full of surprises. Her ability to be invisible makes Hound one of the best spies around. Hound likes to listen to conversations happening in places she shouldn't even consider visiting. She can be anywhere she wants while remaining fully undetected whenever she wants to visit Dark Guilds. Anyway, Hound's my number one information gatherer because she monitors Dark Guilds and brings news when she learns that something dangerous is in the works. Hound's never been wrong about any dangerous information she's brought me to date, Master Laxus."

"So what kind of magic do you use, exactly, Brat?" Laxus asked as he focused on the dirty youth.

An expressive shrug and squeaking hoarse whisper answered. "Don't know. I do what needs doing when it needs doing."

Gajeel stepped up beside him and began talking. "I didn't know she could use her weird magic for healing, but I guess living the way she does has made her figure out all sorts of strange twists to try out with her magic so she can survive the streets. I know Hound's always struggling to control her magic, and nobody knows what kind of magic she'll settle into using as her main type, but I suspect it will be Chameleon or illusion since she hides all the time to spy on Dark Guilds. Her ability to hide in plain sight is the only aspect she's truly mastered, far as I know."

"It's a handy ability that she's got. Hound would make a great addition to this guild." Makarov added as Laxus frowned, glaring between his broadly grinning, far too spry grandfather and Gajeel.

As if Laxus did not already have enough trouble to overcome with Blondie getting kidnaped by a group of powerful dark mages, now Laxus was going to have to deal with his grandsire's influence over the guild before he could retrieve the sexy little troublemaker who got herself kidnaped. "Although I'm glad to see that you're much better, Gramps, I need to know why some kid thinks Balam Alliance would need Blondie to complete their plans. All I can think of is Heartfilia's wealth and power as an incentive to abduct her. If that's the case, we need to get moving and take her back sooner instead of later. Otherwise we'll lose her and any chance we have of saving Fairy Tail." Laxus snapped.

"Are you truly so blind and unfeeling for others, Laxus? Lucy's an important part of Fairy Tail's family, and she's a powerful mage in her own right. If you can't care about your guild members, then you have no business being the Guild Master of Fairy Tail." Makarov chastised him in a sorrow laced voice.

"Don't start with the daycare mentality, Gramps. Fairy Tail is a working guild and needs to turn around it's image to function the way all the other guilds do! I'm not giving back the guild since you let things go to shit over the years. Blondie and I have done a lot to get everything put back together the right way already, and you aren't going to mess it up! The Rune Knights were under orders to disband Fairy Tail until I talked them out of it. You're welcome to stay so long as you don't interfere with Fairy Tail getting back on track like I promised the Magic Council would happen if they left me in charge. We're on probation at the moment, and you aren't going to walk back into the office and screw everything up!"

"Don't talk to your grandfather that way, Laxus." The she demon growled, yanking the bandage on Laxus ribs hard enough to make him hiss in agony.

"Knock it off, Demon. Facts are facts. Gramps ignore the Magic Council's rules far too long and left too many fines unpaid. The Magic Council is done with Fairy Tail's contempt of rules. I'm trying to save this guild before it's too late. If you want to follow Makarov so badly, you can all leave here and find somewhere else to live and work. Fairy Tail will be disbanded the same day Gramps takes over the guild again."

"Hm, he's making a good point, Dear child. I'm not interested in running the guild again at any rate. But, I do expect you to listen to me, Brat! I've got forty years of experience at running a guild, and I know every trick in the book to keep Fairy Tail together through every kind if crisis imaginable."

"The way you've run things has almost ruined Fairy Tail, Old Man. We have to go in a different direction or Fairy Tail's finished!" With a jerk of his good arm, Laxus pointed at the filthy person standing next to his grandfather and gritted out, "Scrap Metal, the next time you bring children in here at least make sure they've got clean clothes and a bath out of the way first so Lahar won't close us down and leave us all homeless and without work. Fairy Tail isn't an orphanage, and the Magic Council won't tolerate that attitude any longer because of Erza, Flame Brain, and Popsicle's documented track records of massive destruction on their jobs. They've said as much when Lahar gave me the new, temporary charter to stay in business. I'm not going to force an unwilling kid to play house if she doesn't want to at any rate. If she's as valuable an informant as you claim, we'll do all we can to help her whenever she requests our help, but we won't push her into staying if she doesn't want to be here. Is that understood?"

Makarov shook his head and trotted over to the bar to continue prattling. "The Magic Council won't have a problem with Hound joining Fairy Tail, My Boy. The Magic Council makes exceptions for young rare magic users to insure they don't fall into Dark guild hands. I took in a number of brilliant and gifted orphans who fit the criteria over the years which has made Fairy Tail the wonderful home it has become. Hound's power feels like a Space or Time Arc wizard which would qualify her as a lost magic user. Ark of time and Ark of Space are very rare types of power that the Magic Council will want to protect and nurture. However, due to being so young, it is possible that she's also able to tap Invisibility or even Chameleon magic to a point because of survival instincts. Not all mages have only one magical affinity, so it may be that she's capable of using multiple types so long as she continues working with different magic types each day. The Magic Council has no reason to be upset if Hound becomes a member of this guild so long as they get reports on her progress. We can take care of her, and teach her how to control her magic effectively."

Brows plunging to his nose bridge, Laxus refrained from snorting at his Grandfather's comments. "Most multiple magic type mages use related magic, and we both know it. Ark mages may be able to use more than one form of Ark magic, but all the magic types used are still Ark classified. Healing and Chameleon magic are very different classes. Ark magic is also a different class from healing or chameleon magic. So that means that someone knows a lot about forgotten magic and has probably already taught this, . . . kid . . . how to use multi forms of Ark magic. And unless someone is willing to teach the brat how to behave right and act like her parent, there is no possibility that I'm going to make her a guild member when she's too young to understand the responsibilities of being a member of Fairy Tail! You are not going to convince me to let you create another team of Mass Destruction, Gramps! Three pig headed, walking destruction zones are already too many to deal with every day!"

"If Gajeel's correct, Hound doesn't have any formal training, so everything she does is by instinct, Laxus. With proper training, Hound could very well become a wonderful Arc of Time or Space Mage, plus use some form of Chameleon Magic. Think of the possibilities of having the pleasure of helping raise a Lost Magic user. You can help recover a lost magic, My Boy. Hound needs a home that can provide her with proper training in not allowing her telepathic abilities to run roughshod through people's minds. We have Warren to teach her the finesse required to harness that portion of her different magic types. I'm sure Warren could teach her better shielding techniques to prevent problems and allow Hound to freely use her telepathic abilities for good. By becoming her family, Fairy Tail can help her to grow so she'll become a wise and wonderful young woman with a wonderful, and powerful magic that can do wonders for others." Makarov's tone had shifted to wheedling.

"Telepathy? Ark magic doesn't include telepathy, Gramps! Are you sure your well enough to be out of bed?" Laxus demanded as his anger escalated over his Grandfather's outright disregard for the damage his reign had already done to Fairy Tail's reputation. Their guild had been reduced to a laughing stock with a very bad reputation because of gramps desire to turn the Guild into an orphanage without any supervision once.

Makarov hopped onto a bar stool beside Laxus with a surly glare. "When she was healing me, I noticed that Hound pin pointed specific injuries and reversed them to a state before they occurred which is why I think she's got a talent for Ark magic. Therefore what Hound did has nothing to do with healing magic in the classic sense. Still the raw ability she used, in and of itself, is remarkable, Laxus. Surviving the harsh conditions of being homeless caused this young lady's raw talent to evolve in unusual ways and she needs our guidance. I think this child should join Fairy Tail to get magical training she desperately needs."

Gajeel snorted as Hound vanished as if she had never existence. "Don't try to force Hound to settle down, Makarov. Master Laxus has the right idea about letting Hound be an independent agent. You'll drive her away faster than Laxus can zap all of us if you won't stop trying to force the Forth Master to do what you want him to do. She won't stay in the Guild because she believes she's cursed. Her fucked up childhood has her convinced that anyone who tries to take her in will die. I've been able to give her pointers on controlling her magic, and will continue to help her with that. It's part of our deal and Hound considers all techniques she learns to be payment for information she's willing to share. She's devoted to sniffing out every major Dark Guild plot that endangers lives in order to stop massacres from happening. From what she's told me, Hound knows she hasn't got the whole picture on this newest plot yet. If Bunny Girl's been taken, it means Hound's onto something very big and dangerous because she heard a member of Oracion Seis talking to members of Naked Mummy about their plans to grab Bunny Girl, plus search for an ancient weapon called Nirvana, Makarov. Laxus is right to refuse your demand to try and force her to join Fairy Tail. Hound knows where her abilities are best used, and she's already doing what she feels she needs to be doing."

Laxus found himself frozen before he could respond to Gajeel's unexpected backing. Stinging tingles shot up his broken arm, pain began exploding into full focus throughout his body. Realizing he was unable to move or speak, Laxus could do nothing but endure the sudden agony encompassing his ribs and torso. An eerie feeling of having his mind riffled through accompanied the uncomfortable sensations Laxus experienced. Feeling his bones shifting back into alignment with a wet popping was creepy, but Laxus could not stop the buzz of invasive energy that was responsible. Someone's thoughts brushed his mind, sucking out all Laxus had ever experienced as if to catalog it. Having faced an interrogation savvy Mind Control Mage before, Laxus knew the sensation drilling into his thoughts. Something about this invasion was triggering Laxus most horrific memories to surface one after the other. Laxus found himself in a war to block the power surging through his system as he tried to raise inner barriers against the strange magic flooding his body and mind.

As the strange magic trapped Laxus in thrall, odd images began flooding his mind in return. The initial jumble of images flashing through Laxus mind sucked him into a different place, and time. The desperate, childish mind was overflowing Laxus' awareness, and he was helpless to ignore it. Fear and hopelessness ripped across Laxus thoughts as his memories, and those of the mage messing with his mind, blurred into a single being. Remembered agony of having the lacrima implanted in his young body merged into the agony and memories of his unwanted pilferer's own memories.

_A group of uniform wearing men and women brutally beating the child's parents into unrecognizable pulps was the first memory to assault Laxus mind as her life morphed into his own experience. An explosion was ripping the ground from beneath their combined feet, earth collapsing into a very dark place filled with broken rock and sand crushing the last traces of life out of their tiny body as the upper crust continued to fall upon their frail, injured body. They were unable to understand what was happening as they found their self laying broken in the midst of a dust swirling, almost airless, blackness. _

_Vision darkening despite the strange glow that began to fill the underground chamber followed as fear clouded their minds. As loud as thunder, useless gurgling noises disturbed the inviolate tomb to increase the terror of dying a thousand fold. Silence was splintering and shattering under broken attempts to breathe that brought no relief from the sensation of drowning and bubbling sensations encasing their chest. The last traces of the child's sane mind was losing all hope as the beautiful glow gained strength within their mind. The light pierced tear blurred eyes with a rainbow hued light far brighter than could be handled. The child knew beyond doubt they were dying._

_Unable to understand how the scales and light were seen, they were looking at a mixed types of precious metal weight measuring scale that had tipped onto it's side. A white onyx dish and black onyx dish were laying in a pool of dark liquid that the child knew came from their body. Despite knowing their eyes had failed, Laxus and the child saw the pretty white stone getting muddy with their blood. In their minds' eyes, a yin and yang symbol was engraved in each chalice dish with a scroll comprising a section of the stem. _

_From the pretty metal and stone statue, many voices flowed into the child's conscience telling them that it was time to return law and balance to the world, and that they would be joined in their efforts because their innocent blood had been shed by arrogant filth. Agony increasing, searing power and pressure tore through their thin skin. A multitude of voices spoke in tandem. "Let law return to cast out the darkness that corrodes the Gods' sacred garden. Arise and obey your masters!"_ _The weird sensation of being burned to a crisp internally while getting crushed vanished. Everything began shaking and heaving upward, as wind whipped around them and lifted them up. Despite there being nothing but blinding light, extreme pressure on their chest, and pain, they felt the first blessed air flowing into their starved lungs. Life was returning to their bone popping limbs._

As the images which had infiltrated and shaken Laxus to his core rapidly faded as the young mage withdrew, Laxus was desperate to shake off the skin crawling sensation permeating his being. "Next time ask before you fuck with me, you little rug rat. I know what that was that I saw, and I gotta say that's one really fucked up head game!"

"Hound only helps people she wants to get along with, Master Laxus. Be glad she was willing to help you even thought she can't keep her memories from being seen. Without her interference, you'd have been down for several weeks from the busted ribs and arm. Hound isn't trying to play any head games, but her memories always transfer whenever she touches anyone with her magic. It's the one thing that Makarov's hell bent to get her help to control because he got a lot longer a dose than you just got."

Knowing that Gajeel was right did not ease the painful jolt of unwelcome images and physical sensations that had hit Laxus as hard as his own worst nightmare of having a lacrima implanted into his body. "Her magic felt like an Interrogation trained Mind control Mage was ripping everything I know out of my head. I felt like she was replacing parts of my life with a really fucked up image of some kind of fancy metal scale, and a brutal massacre."

"You saw a piece of her past. Her vocal chords were shattered and came through her skin. She's got the scar to prove it happened. Hound knows her most traumatic memories, and those of the person she touches will transfer to each other whenever she touches others is why she refuses all physical contact unless she believes it's absolutely necessary. I've seen her memories when she hid me a couple years back because I was busted up pretty bad during a dangerous mission. It isn't like Hound takes a shine to many people, so cut her some slack now that you know her biggest secret. If anything, Hound hates humanity far worse than that crazy old pink haired healer attached to this guild because of the shit that's been done to her and her family." Gajeel grumbled.

"Yeah well she was invading my brain, and that pisses me off." Laxus snapped as electricity danced across his skin.

Makarov hummed in a thoughtful tone. "I also felt, and saw the trauma she endured as if her awareness was tapping into my memories earlier. The trauma of her near death experience controls much of her personality. Having experienced it yourself, I'm sure you both know why I think young Hound has abilities as a telepath."

"Yeah. Not sure how far you saw into her memories, but I was trapped in that memory until the end. Coming out of the agony to find myself floating in the air during the dead of night to look at lots of blasted apart bodies beneath me wasn't pleasant. Hound doesn't know what happened outside of the blinding pain while she was being lifted out of the ruins by the scales that she knew were helping her. I know that the weird metal and precious gem scales were not fully sunk beneath her skin yet when she started seeing again. Whatever it is, that weird relic is magical. I think her blood awoke the magic that was probably sealed away inside of the relic and it healed her while somehow merging into her body." Gajeel grumbled as he raked his fingers through his hair.

"I saw much the same thing, Gajeel kun. Somehow this child came into contact with a lost holy relic that has a borderline sentience if what I saw while she was reversing the stroke damage is any indicator. How they fused together is a mystery of the likes I've never heard about in all my years of being a Mage." Gramps commented while stroking his mustache.

"Hey, Hound? Show yourself. Nobody is going to hurt you while you're here. You still need to tell Lightning Rod what you found out. You know he isn't going to force you to stick around, or let the Third hold you down." Gajeel changed the subject.

"He's mad at me so I don't dare. I told you what I overheard already. You tell them about the Balam Alliance's plans, Blacky." The hoarse whispering words shifted in and out of squeaks that did not reveal anything about Hound's location.

"Look you pig headed pain in the ass. Master Laxus isn't going to fry you over something you can't control. He's done yelling at you over it at any rate. He needs to focus on saving Bunny girl at any rate." Gajeel pointed out in a huffy tone.

"Little one, nobody's going to hurt you. You're safe while you are inside Fairy Tail's walls." Gramps was speaking. "Isn't that right, Laxus?"

Hearing that biting undertone contained in Makarov's words, Laxus turned his glare onto his grandfather. "Can it, Gramps. I'm pissed off, but zapping a kid that can't control her magic isn't worth my time. Whatever the hell she is, she's got a lot of raw power, but zero restraint. Wouldn't surprise me if her own magic kills her in the near future. You're right that she desperately needs a teacher, or at least figure out what kind of magic we're dealing with so we can get her the right books to read. Gajeel's little street rat's got potential, but she needs to learn to limit the output and direction very fast or she won't survive her own magic. She's a walking time bomb right now."

"Hound reminds me of Natsu, the Strauss siblings, Gray, and Erza when they were about the same age."

Laxus snorted at his grandfather's fond tone. "Too bad you didn't teach them any real manners, or self control when you brought them into this guild. You mostly left them to raise their selves as best they could after getting older members to give them the most rudimentary training in their magic's control. The Magic Council's going to be breathing down my neck until the back owed fines are out of the way, and your orphans can all prove that they've learned do missions without destroying whole communities. It's up to me to teach them self control to save Fairy Tail since you couldn't be bothered, Gramps. If the kid's willing to learn to control her magic before it kills her, I'll see if I can't help her achieve that goal. Once she's got control, she'll be able to take control of her life and break the curse she's under any time she wants to break it!"

"You believe hound's cursed?" Gajeel's voice wavered with shock.

"The relic has something very wrong about it. Didn't you ever notice the wrongness in her power when she used her magic on you, Scrap Heap?" Laxus demanded.

"You're right about there being something wrong with the Relic's power, Laxus. I felt it also. It's almost as if the many voices that she hears in her mind are an angry mob that speaks as one voice. Something about the relic feels like something I've seen before, perhaps in a book many years ago, but I can't quite remember where I saw the drawing that matches it." Makarov's tone had shifted into the distracted, deeply troubled range that Laxus had heard countless times during his lifetime.

"At the moment, I think we better go into my office and get to the bottom of why Blondie was abducted. I need to focus on getting Heartfilia back where she belongs. We can worry about what you may have read about concerning the relic after we get an idea of what's happening with the Balam Alliance." Laxus pointed out as he rose from his seat. "Come on, Kid. Time for you to spill what you've heard, and get paid for your information." He added as he headed toward the stairs.

The scrawny brat reappeared out of thin air it seemed. She yanked down her hood to give Laxus a fair look at her dirt streaked face and matted, dirty mousy colored hair. "Least we can do is make sure you're fed and cleaned up enough that you don't have any more bugs tormenting you once we finish talking. You also could use better clothes that can handle your chosen lifestyle better."

"Being too clean will make me stand out too much, Mister Laxus. I can't stand out and find out what the Eclipse is." Hound whispered back.

"Dying will insure that you don't get answers either. You need to learn that everything has a place. You can learn to make yourself look filthy without being filthy and bug ridden. Learn how to take care of yourself. Gramps will find out what that set of Scales are since he's seen them somewhere before. Help me get Blondie back, and I'll do everything I can to help you get rid of your curse. We got a deal, Hound?"

The tiny, half starved girl looked at him full on, revealing that she had two different colored eyes for the first time. "I was born cursed, Mister Laxus. My parents were killed because of the curse. Everyone in my family has the curse. Nobody can save people like me. We aren't wanted in this world."

Heaving a sigh as he frowned down at the troublesome kid, Laxus had no idea how to deal with the absolute certainty he heard in the youngster's voice. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Laxus knew that he should know what the girl was talking about because of her memories having transferred to him during her weird time bending efforts that had put his broken bones back together. However, Laxus had the resurgence of gut deep dread that whatever this kid's news contained, it was going to be very bad for both him, and for Blondie.

~~oo0oo~~


	17. Chapter 16

A/N: Don't own Fairy Tail characters. Thanks for all the positive feed back through PM's and reviews. Thanks also for the newest faves and follows. **For readers who mentioned a fear that Lucy will become the Damsel in Distress; You have my word that such a travesty is not going to happen. **Anyway, I would have had this up earlier, except there have been a fair number of storms blasting through my neighborhood and they have been knocking out my electricity so I had no internet connection that was stable enough to not get no Server messages. :( I think FFnet did a new update of their site also. So yeah, been a weird couple of days.

CHAPTER 16

Lahar stared at him with a look of pure disbelief as Laxus growled in reply. "Look, Metal Head's informant got here right after Heartfilia was abducted. It's not possible for the news to have gotten around yet which is why I called you. Gajeel was getting this information while I was fighting Oracion Seis members solo and unwittingly trying to protect their target. None of us understand why they set their sights on Heartfilia, but it seems someone's gotten some really stupid ideas about her! Why the fuck would I lie about any of this?"

Lahar rubbed his jaw. "I'm not calling you a liar, Master Laxus. We've heard enough rumors about Oracion Seis and other Balam Alliance factions being on the move. I'm simply trying to understand how Heartfilia's abduction ties into their schemes."

"Typical blind stupidity from the Council as always." A disembodied, child's voice made Lahar's head whip around.

"Who's there?" Lahar demanded.

Gajeel began to chuckle. "Hound hates being seen. She's made herself invisible and isn't about to show herself at this point. You should listen to her at any rate. Hound's smarter than anyone here I'm pretty sure. Plus she's always correct since she's the best informant in the business."

"Is that so?" Lahar did not look convinced, but Laxus could smell the unease coming off Lahar in waves.

"Think of it this way, a holder class from a very powerful Celestial Mage bloodline is the perfect tool to use. So long as they keep her magically charged, and under some form of mind control, then they can link the Nirvana weapon to the Heaven Tower they've created. I'm not sure what the Eclipse is, or where it is located, but so long as they find Nirvana, they can still do devastating things with those two items by using a holder class as the link up to control them both. In effect, Balam Alliance can hold Fiore, and it's neighboring nations, hostage." Hound's voice had moved. Laxus had to give the little girl credit. She was smart enough to stay on the move, and silent enough that even Laxus could not truly detect where she was inside his office. Hound had evaded mentioning the possibility that Blondie was a Phenomenon which was an absolute death sentence by law. For that omission, Laxus discovered he was grateful. Not only would it be devastating for Fairy Tail because they had harbored Heartfilia, it would strip Laxus of something he wanted a great deal. Heartfilia was not going to get away from him if he could help it, Laxus vowed.

As Laxus watched, the last of the color in Lahar's skin bled away. "Celestial Magic takes immense power to manifest through a single summoning. There's no way that Heartfilia could be utilized the way you're proposing. She will be magically exhausted in a matter of minutes. This information is worthless outside of the piece about Balam trying to find the sealed Nirvana weapon."

"You're lack of ability to think outside of the little box you're trapped within is disappointing, yet typical. You don't realize how simple it is to manage when you factor in the Sky Maiden from Cait Shelter. She is a genuine healer capable of restoring magic power with ease. They've already secured her as the needed charger so to speak. So long as they can control the pair, they can do serious damage once they take Nirvana's core component and fuse it with their Tower of Heaven."

"What the hell is this Tower of Heaven you mentioned?" Lahar demanded, frustration and fear escalating in his scent.

A knock on the door startled everyone. Rubbing his forehead, Laxus called out, "Enter!"

Bickslow, Freed, and Erza came through the door and closed it behind them. "You wanted to see us, Master?"

"Yes." "Good timing, children." Laxus and Makarov responded together. Laxus glared at his grandfather who gave him a sheepish grin with a hand rubbing the back of his head.

"Sorry. Habits die hard. You can have the full title and all the headaches that go along with it, Laxus." Makarov answered with an easy grin.

Swiveling his head, Laxus realized his jaw had loosened in abject shock over his grandfather's lack of fight. Alarms clanged in the back of Laxus mind because this was not how Makarov Dreyer reacted to anything. A sudden upsurge in suspicion that the little street rat Gajeel had brought was responsible for altering his grandfather's personality roiled through Laxus system. Although he did not feel any different, the possibility of having been altered in unseen ways made Laxus uneasy about her having put his broken bones back together.

Lahar sighed and shoved his glasses back up his long nose. "At least I won't have to pull rank on that issue! Now back to my question. What is the Tower of Heaven that your little informant mentioned, and how can it be fused with Nirvana using this Guild's Celestial Spirit Mage?"

Erza's immediate, horrified reaction captured Laxus and the other occupants attention. Eyes narrowing Laxus gave her a hard stare. "What do you know about this Tower of Heaven Hound mentioned, Erza? It's obvious you've heard the name before just by looking at you."

Fists tightening, color vanishing from her face, Erza looked ready to puke at any second. "I escaped from that place years ago. It isn't in this country. It's on an island that belongs to another nation."

Lahar twisted around to see her clearly. "Continue."

"The Tower of Heaven was being built by child slaves to revive Zeref somehow, but I have no idea how it works. From what I can remember of the cult members' discussions, it's some kind of magical focusing lens. That's what I overheard when I was a slave at any rate." Erza looked even sicker as she stepped before Laxus desk, visibly shaking.

"Are you implying that the Council missed a piece of the R system, Scarlet? And if that's the case, why have you kept this information to yourself for so long?" Fury laced Lahar's venomous tone.

"I'm not sure if the Tower has anything to do with any R System, or if it's something else. All I know is that there were roughly one hundred children forced to build it, and I suspect some of them had magical potential like myself. We were all hostages, as well as abused slaves, Lahar San. What do you want from me?" Erza snapped in return.

The upheaval Gajeel's the little scamp had caused was the reason Laxus had summoned Lahar to the guild so late in the evening. With Erza's confession, Laxus felt his stomach plunge to his toes. If the Tower was a magical focusing lens, then the Tower probably could be fused with the Nirvana weapon's magical components. How Blondie would help that long was still a mystery to Laxus, but he did not like the evolving scheme that was coming together in his own mind. Considering how Holder Type magic worked, a physical object was infused with magic, and it caused a reaction in the object to unleash a specific type of spell that was fueled by the mage. Somehow, Blondie's ability to power an object was the main reason she was needed. Holder mages were not common, but the Stellar Spirit users were among the rarest of all.

"Calm down, Lahar. Don't forget that Erza was a badly damaged child when she first arrived at Fairy Tail. It's not like she realized she needed to tell us everything she had heard while she was in that horrific place. She probably didn't understand it was so important." Makarov interjected before things could escalate.

"Very true, Master, erm, Makarov San." Erza was quick to correct her slip. "I didn't think Jellal would be able to complete the Tower. He also threatened the other children's lives if I said anything about it's existence. He had close to one hundred hostages when I escaped the place. I couldn't risk so many other children dying because of the cult that started the project did something to Jellal that turned him into a vicious monster."

"Scarlet, you said the tower is a lens to focus magic, correct?" Laxus demanded.

"I recall some of the cult members saying as much." Erza answered with her hand lifting to rest on her hip.

"You also thought some of the children they enslaved were magically inclined correct?" Laxus continued.

Erza nodded once, with a crisp, no nonsense attitude.

"Did you see any lacrimas being installed when you were there?" Laxus asked as his sense of dread increased.

Erza's brows furrowed as she considered her questions, eyes taking on a distance that implied she was remembering the past. "There was a lot of stone involved, and some it of it did feel tingly as I recall, but if it was lacrima stone, it was unrefined, and lower grade."

Although Laxus was still unsure about the brat, he had plenty of reasons to be impressed with the strange child's talent for discovering dangerous plots as his certainty that the Balam Alliance had targeted mage children to do the work so that their power would infuse the law grade lacrima to create a different battery of sorts. All of the information given, and the possible consequences if a fraction of the young girl's information was right staggered Laxus. The fact that Oracion Seis was assuming Blondie had the cursed Phenomenon blood was only the tip of the proverbial iceberg if Erza's information was correct. Even without being a Phenomenon, Blondie's holder class magic could still be used by the group to achieve their agendas. Somehow, they could use Blondie as a focal between the two weapons, and the Tower had to be fairly large to absorb enough magic over the years to power the kind of destructive force the Balam Alliance needed.

Before Lahar could start bitching, Laxus slammed his fist into the desk top and stood up. "Gramps, I need you to keep things under control here. I'm getting Blondie back effective immediately. Titania, I want Flame Thrower, Ice Pop, Evergreen, and She Demon found yesterday. Bickslow, Freed, and Gajeel, you're with me. It's too late to catch a train so we'll meet at the Rental place in forty five minutes. Be ready to go."

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Laxus? This is a matter for the Council to decide!" Lahar rounded on him.

With a glare, magic writhing beneath his skin, Laxus bared his teeth at the Rune Knight. "We've got a very dangerous situation on our hands. If we don't get Heartfilia back immediately, we'll be dealing with a real crisis. I expect the Council to get off their asses and give me all the information they have on this Nirvana weapon so I can complete this job without a lot of fucking casualties!"

"You're a Guild Master! Your place is here keeping everything under control!" Lahar snapped back.

"Makarov may be walking and talking again, but that doesn't mean he's ready for combat. He damn near died recently, and he's going to stay here while I put a stop to the Balam Alliance's insanity. Until I'm satisfied he's back to full health, Makarov stays in the guild. Freed will give him the rundown on the training schedules. He's going to make sure everyone continues to comply with the Magic Council's current rules. As there is no telling where Gildarts has wandered off to at the moment, I'm the only other double S ranked mage Fairy Tail has to offer. I'm going to stop this before it gets out of hand and people start dying! Do I make myself clear, Captain Lahar?" Venom dripped from his voice as Laxus glared between the two men. "There will be no slacking off while I handle this mess, Gramps! This guild will be reformed on schedule as promised. By taking the walking destruction zone with me, I'll control Dragneel's actions directly during this rescue mission. We have to stop Balam Alliance before this nation gets attacked!"

Lahar smacked his palms on the desk, getting in Laxus face. "Fairy Tail is not going in alone. I'm aware of how dangerous this situation is going to get if left alone which is why I'm going to call in enough strong mages to insure there are no chances of failure! This matter requires finesse, and I will get Council permission to put the best team together to stop Balam Alliance. You will remain here while I get everything arranged, Master Laxus. This is a Magic Council order."

A chest deep snarl worked its way into Laxus throat as his temper spiraled tighter than ever before. It was bad enough that Laxus was nursing a painful blow to his pride over having lost Blondie to a Dark Guild earlier. Nobody took anyone Laxus chose to claim for his own amusement and got away with it. Yet here Laxus was, being thwarted by the Magic Council's favorite lackey who would not hesitate to use his position as the Captain of the Custody Enforcement branch for his own ends.

"Let's get one thing straight, Lahar, I'm in charge of this operation because my second in command has been kidnapped. She has high level clearance from the Magic Council now, so I'm not going to take no for an answer! I'm also returning to the attack scene before Blondie's scent vanishes and Fairy Tail's Slayers can't track her and her abductors. We can't afford to lose time waiting for you to assemble a competent team of outside guild mages who could be anywhere in this nation on jobs right now. I'll make sure we have a communication lacrima on us at all times so you can let me know where we need to go to meet the others once you get them together. In the meantime, we are going to upset their plans. Send us backup when you can manage to get things together."

"Don't think I'm going to let you walk all over my authority, Laxus Dreyer! I'm giving you an order from the Magic Council so that this can be handled properly!" Lahar snapped back.

The next thing Laxus knew, he landed in his chair as he had not expected the shove that knocked him away from Lahar. Head snapping up with his teeth bared, Laxus was stunned to see the ragged cloak Gajeel's brat wore, slip into a rumpled pool in his lap as the tiny girl was standing on his desk. She was nose to nose with Lahar, the bane of Laxus' existence. Bright, garish light was emitting from the now visible little girl Metal Mouth had brought into Laxus' guild. The weird greenish gold with ripples of dark gray and muted rainbow energy flowing off the tiny female, ever shifting colors swirling and solidifying even as Laxus' eyes landed on her dirt encrusted, emaciated form.

Yet the pulse of magic that spiraled around her small body froze Laxus as nothing else could manage from the sheer pressure Hound exuded. Raw magic of this caliber was unheard of in youngsters. He was looking at a brat that was at the end of her lifeline considering she radiated power capable of rivaling double S class mages like Gildarts, Makarov, and even himself Laxus recognized as numb shock kept him frozen. Lahar's visible expression mirrored genuine fear, and awe.

From his new vantage, Laxus saw and smelled drops of blood hitting the newly finished paper work stacks scattered upon his desk. Even as shock loosened his jaw, Laxus found himself trying to figure out what was happening as the pressure increased again. A distinctive color swirl was changing the patterns within the magic that was shoving down hard on Laxus body. More metallic smelling blood caked the inside of Laxus nose as a stone capped mix of precious metals in the shape of a rod flowed out of the girl's body to manifest itself. A white onyx dish became visible on it's own cross sectioned rod, encased within carved, iridescent stone. The stone looked like a scroll covered in glyphs that conveyed a message in an unidentified tongue that provoked an unwelcome, nagging familiarity. The iridescent hued, stone capping the rod reached the level of the girl's forehead and stopped moving.

Horror clogged the strained voice that reached Laxus' ears. "Your informant is relic possessed corpse?"

An eerie shift in colors accompanied echoing, drawn out voices that filled the room as the buzzing sensation of souls increased Laxus' inability to force his magic or muscles into motion. "A corpse cannot move, grow, think, or evolve. We saved this innocent who was falsely attacked and would have died without our power for we are the embodiment of the true Law. We live as one with this living girl who was almost butchered by the hands of Utter Dark, the very evil we were created to curb. We have been called by many names through the centuries. Our proper name is the Scales of Justice. Our power was infused by, and founded upon the Scrolls of Cosmic Law. We were created to contain the laws that flow from the foundations of creation and manifested by the hands of the Light Realm Clan who fools dared to slaughter to the brink of extinction without thought. Such actions have shattered the balance that brings stability to all forms of Creation. We were meant to protect the Realm of Manifestation, that which you call Earthland, Mortal."

The multitude of voices ripped through Laxus consciousness, invading every pore of his body, scraping across his mind and emotions like razors skinning off hide. With formidable effort, Laxus forced out a sentence. "What the fuck is happening, Lahar?"

"Your damned informant is directly controlled by a Phenomena lineage created lost relic. This is the reason Phenomena powers are killed whenever we find them. They create insane, deadly objects that mimic life. The Books of Zeref are like this fucking relic. They pretend to be alive, and destroy everything around them." Lahar managed to gasp out.

Movement out of the corner of Laxus left eye made him aware that someone in the room was still able to move. Yet the true surprise was that it was not Makarov who looked unscathed by the power clogging the air everyone needed to breathe. Bickslow was shaking his uncovered head, totems surrounding his chest and rotating around him. "No offense, Lahar San, but there isn't a drop of evil coming from this relic. I can see lots of souls that are clinging to it though. A lot of them were mages during their lifetimes it feels like to me."

"What are you saying, Bicks?" Laxus managed to growl as he fought to regain control over his body while stunned to see that Bickslow had removed his helmet.

"You now damned well that I can see souls, Master. A lot of souls are sticking to the weird looking scales, kind of piled up in the stone sections and a bit merged together. The brighter ones are freaking out which is causing the magic pressure in the air. It's kind of like they're all debating what to do, and haven't come to an accord. You could say that several types of magic may be getting supplied by their memories of when they were alive because they give her a lot of extra power to shape based on whatever kinds of mages they were with their help. My guess is this little girl's actually a Seith Mage like me. Somehow unlike me, she can access the actual original magic from these souls that got trapped by the relic. It's probably instinctive since she's doing it without knowing how she's doing it. She's also trying to take back control over the insane number of souls that are screaming for us to listen to them and could use my help getting them calmed down." Bickslow answered in an unusually serious voice.

"You're saying that the relic is a type of trap for lost souls?" Laxus heard the shock in his own tone as his intended statement took on a questioning note.

"These souls are way too focused to be lost souls. It's almost as if they chose to die and bind themselves to this weird scale talisman. My babies were all raging and hate filled souls that wanted revenge when I found each one of them. Nothing like that is going on with these souls. They have a very strong sense of purpose that has nothing to do with revenge." Bickslow was saying as he shifted forward, eyes blazing green fire.

"We made vows to fight Utter Dark. We died defending the weak and the meek from the nightmare of Utter Dark's last bid for control over this world. We committed ourselves to the Scales of Justice and remain guardians of light. Our powers were not lost, nor were our minds clouded by emotions when we fought Utter Dark's bloodline and the fallen in a nation that has been lost beneath the sands of time. The Law remains to guide our magical powers and knowledge to the one chosen to bear the burden of bringing true Light and Law back to this world." Hound's hoarse whisper was augmented by multiple voices again.

The layers of voices were not in perfect sync so the echoing effect sent shivers rippling down Laxus spine. If nothing else, Laxus found the soul possessed girl to be getting steadily creepier with every breath he took. However, to Laxus eyes, Bickslow looked as if he had just been handed the most fascinating puzzle ever created. His lips were lifted in a genuine smile instead of his trademark perverted leer. The brilliant glow of Bickslow's Figure Eyes was getting brighter as he studied the relic with a concentration Laxus rarely saw.

"So all of you made this vow and it was attached to the scales which is why you ended up trapped in this relic when you died. Did I get that right?" Bickslow asked the souls.

"You are correct. We willingly gave our lives to serve Light and Law. When we died, we became one with the Scales so that we could continue to fight Utter Dark."

Another shudder, far stronger than the last flashed along Laxus' spine. The more information Bickslow drew from the relic's resident souls, the more confused and horrified he became with the idea. It seemed to Laxus as if some kind of crazy cult had committed mass suicide for a crazy belief. It would not be the first time Laxus heard of such fanatical cults, but this one was probably the strangest he had ever dealt with in any way.

"Can't you do anything about this magical pressure, Seith Mage?" Lahar snapped as he remained frozen with his hands on the desk top.

"I'm trying. Problem is that they've kind of locked onto your soul and are trying to decide how best to explain things to you. They have a lot to say, and they aren't going to let you go until they believe you're willing to listen to them with an open mind."

"Why are they trapping the rest of us if they really want to talk to the Captain?" Gajeel's gravelly voice entered the conversation.

Bickslow chuckled. "Souls can be difficult to understand. Take lost souls for instance. They've died in brutal, very violent ways. Their last living breath was spent swearing vengeance on whomever or whatever killed them so viciously that their minds shattered before their literal. It traps them in this world and makes them very dangerous to the majority of people, mages included. Seith magic allows me to calm a lost soul because they are blinded by hatred, pain and rage."

"So calm these crazy souls down already." Gajeel snarled.

"I can't. None of these souls are shattered or enraged. All of them are as focused as a living soul would be. These souls are on a very different level from lost souls. Everything about these souls is amazing, and unlike anything I've ever seen, learned or heard about souls. Souls are the core of my magic, and I'm out of my depth completely. I've got no idea how to overcome this level of focus and unconditionally shared strength."

"Then how are you moving around, Bicks?" Laxus managed to ask.

"I'm willing to listen to them and accept that they have things they believe are important to share. They have no need to keep me trapped. All of these souls are in complete agreement that they will be given a fair hearing. Until they see that everyone is willing to honestly listen to them without freaking out, they won't release the stranglehold they have on you guys." Bickslow spoke with sincerity.

The thing that struck Laxus as odd with how Bickslow was reacting but he recognized it had to do with the steady looks Lahar was receiving from the Seith Mage. "Let me guess. Getting frozen like this is because of Captain Lahar?"

Bickslow nodded and swiveled to face Laxus with his brows knitted tight together from concentration stress. "Lahar's radiating revulsion and fear. So yeah, you could say they've noticed the different negative emotions coming off of everyone but me. Your anger isn't helping my magic to smooth things over, Master Laxus."

"How many souls are you sensing, Bickslow?" Freed's question startled Laxus out of his growing anger.

"I'm getting a pretty strong impression of thirty really powerful mage souls, and several weaker souls, but I can't really tell how many of them have become embedded fully in the stones this set of scales contain. I got a feeling that it's more than I'm able to distinguish."

"One hundred and seventy stood against the forces of Utter Dark and died defending the city of Canthia. We will not let the Utter Dark use weapons like Nirvana to do the same to the world a second time." Hound's souls spoke together yet again.

Lahar sighed. "Fine. Let's hear your story so that I can do what I need to do."

Laxus heard others in the room echo Lahar's sentiments and the pressure evaporated as if it had never existed. The scales still pulsed and energy continued to swirl around Hound's body, but the girl seemed to be in a type of deep trance where she could not feel the damage that was done to her body by the relic that normally was residing beneath her skin. The bleeding had stopped, yet Laxus found himself annoyed that some of his hard work had been ruined by Gajeel's little informant. Still, the child was anything but normal, and if Bickslow was correct, Hound was probably the strongest raw talent Seith Mage that the world had seen in many centuries.

Moving his chair to a better vantage point, Laxus sat down once again. Makarov and the rest of the group settled in to listen to what all these crazy souls had to say. Yet part of Laxus' mind was screaming with a never before felt borderline panic as thoughts of Blondie continued to swirl and interfere with his ability to follow the souls' that began to speak about things that Laxus did not care to know. The only thing Laxus knew for certain was that he felt he was losing too much time that he needed to use to reclaim the woman he had decided was going to next grace his bed. Finding and retaking his soon to be playmate plagued Laxus mind.

~~oo0oo~~


	18. Chapter 17

A/N: Don't own Fairy Tail characters. Thanks for all the positive feed back through PM's and reviews. Thanks also for the newest faves and follows. **Seeing how confused some readers are over Hound, I'm pushing this chapter out of the way ASAP to clear up the uproar Hound's character has created. Star Song will be picked up again after some things get cleared up about the O.C. in this chapter. **==oo0oo==symbol separates POV's.

CHAPTER 17

The first thing Lucy noticed as she began awakening after exhausting her magic, was the pounding skull, and nausea that comes with the territory of magical depletion collapse. The second feeling that registered was of having one of her hands getting prodded and tugged on by someone. The third thing that filtered into her awareness was the higher pitched, angry voice near her ear. "Would you jerks help me here? She's got another gold key in her hand and won't let it go!"

A snide sounding male responded. "Get it yourself if you want it that badly, Angel. If you can't even take a key away from a deeply sleeping woman, then obviously you're too weak to be a member of our Guild."

"If she wakes up and summons that key's spirit, you can do the fighting then. It won't be my fault that you're too lazy to help disarm her like Brain ordered us to do, Cobra." The female shot back with venom.

Her eyes remained closed, and Lucy was having difficulty thinking at all. Agony was lancing through her skull to make any effort at thinking next to impossible. Instincts, however, kicked in as Lucy's hand tightened around Loke's key as if it were a life line. Even without conscious thought, Lucy registered that someone wanted to take her spirit away from her. Memories of her argument with the Spirit King were surfacing, yet came through fragmented, more like a dream than a fresh experience. After fighting with everything she had within herself, Lucy's instincts were adamant that she was not going to lose her newest family member, or any of her family of spirits.

"The completion of this project will insure we make far greater fortunes. Yes? I will make sure that this young woman cannot escape by taking the key for you . . . for a price of course, Angel." Another male voice caught Lucy's instinctive attention.

"Oh, just get her fingers open, Hot Eye. Brain said to make sure she's disarmed, so we all have to follow his orders." The female huffed near Lucy's right ear.

Still fighting to clear enough pain and fogginess away to process what was happening, Lucy felt a firm grip on her left hand. Both of her arms were lifting together but Lucy's pain shrouded mind could not quite make the connection as to why she felt increased pressure in both wrists when only her left hand was being held. A moment later pain exploded through her fingers as her fist was pried open by a far greater force than she could counter. A female squeal of delight followed as Loke's key was ripped from her palm. "She has the leader of the Zodiac! Now I've got most of the zodiac to do my bidding once I contract all of these new keys!"

"Uh uh, you're not getting this little trinket before you give me something for my time and effort, Angel. After all, time is money." Lucy heard as if from a distance, forearms colliding with her stomach once her hand was released.

Lucy understood that some strange woman thought to use her beloved spirits as tools, and it sickened her. Emotions raw and overwhelming surged through Lucy's body and mind with only one cohesive thought attached. _'My family's in danger!' _

Instinct driven fury pushed Lucy's legs into kicking out. A pained, masculine yelp met Lucy's ears as her feet connected with a solid form that gave way under the full force of both legs strength. Blinded by rage over how strangers spoke of her spirit family, Lucy was going to make certain they knew the price of trying to take her family away from her. Bedlam erupted as Lucy got to her feet, and tried to see in order to fight back. A couple masculine curses entered Lucy's ears, but did not register in their meaning. A blurry image involving pale colors with something shiny closer to the top of the human shape had Lucy lunging as her legs threatened to buckle beneath her weight.

Colliding with the full figured body in her path, Lucy's arms came up together to latch onto the familiar feel of her key ring. Her fury and love for her spirit family drove Lucy to dig deeper than she ever dreamed she could to wrest them from the filthy hands of the person who thought to use them as tools. Adrenaline pumping helped clear away some of Lucy's incoherent exhaustion. Lucy managed to rip her keys free from the shrieking woman's hold as her eye sight finally got a look at her captor. Rolling away from the petulant looking, silver haired, feather lined garment wearing woman she had attacked, Lucy twisted up onto a knee as her determination to reclaim Loke's key while protecting her other spirits rose to the fore.

"How the fuck is she moving without thinking?" a man was snarling as his blurry figure of white with darker shades of color blending into his moving blob overtook Lucy's non functioning eyes. Rapid blinks morphed the colors into an actual man who had a huge snake wrapped around his waist, white overcoat, and a hair color that could only be described as red plum. His skin was dark, and he had a feral looking face Lucy's eyes recognized before they again failed her.

Before the man could get to her, a doorbell gong echoed through the chamber and Celestial Magic flooded the darkened room. "Of all the nerve! How dare you lay your filthy hands on my key! I'm going to murder the lot of you for messing with My Brat! Nobody lays a finger on her but me!"

Sluggish thoughts came into focus as tears flooded Lucy's useless eyes upon hearing that sadistic, infuriated female voice. Aquarius was going to torture her with another vicious paddling for yet again losing her key, even though the last thing Lucy recalled was passing out after accepting Loke's, no, Leo's Celestial Key. Where she was, or how she had gotten there was a mystery to Lucy. Yet she knew Aquarius would not accept any excuses because Aquarius did not believe anything was a good reason to let her Celestial Keys get taken from her hands short of physical death.

A second doorbell chimed as Lucy felt Aquarius' wrathful magic and heard the sounds of water roaring and whipping into existence with the Mermaid's trademark battle cry. "Ohrrrrraaahhhhhhh!"

"How is she opening gates when she's suffering from Magic Deprivation sickness? What kind of sick joke is this?" The plum haired manwas shrieking a split second before Lucy heard a solid thunk that could only be Aquarius cracking someone upside the head with her heavy water urn.

"Punishment time, Princess?" Virgo's familiar question increased Lucy's tears as her body pitched forward, the last of her adrenaline burning out of her overtaxed system, and her non functioning legs buckling.

"We're here to punish these idiots for messing with His Majesty's new friend, Virgo. We have a debt to repay for the full Zodiac's restoration!" Aquarius' malicious toned words sang through Lucy's heart although she could not process what she heard.

A third bell rang. "My debt will be paid by service to our Princess's family for all time." A masculine voice was accompanied by the sensation of being scooped up into strong arms.

"Everyone, I love you all so much." Lucy managed to croak even as exhaustion tugged her back down into darkness.

"We love you too, Princess. Leave this . . ." The distant sounding response faded as Lucy passed out.

==oo0oo==

Laxus glared at Freed as the green haired man cringed before him. "Well? What's the hold up, Freed?"

"If I break Lahar's barrier, he'll have grounds to arrest us, and dissolve the Guild, Laxus Sama. I know you're furious at the moment, and I do agree with you, but if any of us leave here beforw Lahar returns, Fairy Tail and everything you've fought for will be lost! Please don't ask me to give Lahar legal grounds for imprisoning you with what we know about the Council's agenda." Freed whined.

"Laxus Sama, now that Lahar's gone, I really need to tell you what I noticed about Metal Head's brat while we've got an opening! I didn't dare say what I was picking up with the Council's lap dog sniffing around. You need to hear this because it could cause a lot of trouble." Bickslow spoke with an uncharacteristic solemnness that very nearly creeped Laxus out. A serious Bickslow was an honestly upset with very big reasons kind of Bickslow.

Turning to face the Seith Mage, Laxus felt his knotted brows wrinkle further as alarms went off internally. "What kind of trouble are we talking, Bicks?"

Bickslow fiddled with his visor helmet that he had yet to put back on. "We're talking trouble on a scale that I don't want to try to imagine if the Council decides to lock that kid up. At least, that's what my babies and my gut are both saying."

Gramp's voice caught Laxus attention. "I'm confident we can find a way to get the girl free of that old Relic so she can resume a normal life, and train her magic to fend for herself if we put our minds to the task. In fact, I think it would be an excellent idea for you to teach her all about controlling those souls she's got, Bickslow. The Council will insist upon taking possession of the magical relic so it can be locked away where it can't harm anyone as soon as possible, and there isn't much that we can do except get Hound free of it."

"Won't work and that's the heart of the very big problem worrying me most. I lied about that poor kid being a Seith Mage to keep Lahar from trying to take her to the Council. By giving him that explanation, it should keep him from asking too many questions about how an untrained kid can use multiple types of magic for a few days. The only way I know how to explain what I sensed is that the Relic is helping those souls it absorbed over the centuries to give it a living carrying case, which is the girl. The Relic is suppressing her real magic, . . . more like eating it at a fast rate for a lack of a better explanation. Her magic isn't like anything I've ever sensed, and it's fluctuating between the light end of the spectrum to the dark side at a crazy rate." Bickslow spoke while rubbing a hand over his eyes.

"Why the hell lie about what the kid's magic is, Bicks? And what do you mean when you say her magic is fluctuating between light and dark? Are you seeing the different magics from the souls she's playing doll for, and mistaking it for hers? Is she actually a corpse like Lahar thought when the weird multiple voice thing started coming out of that relic?" Laxus demanded with a biting, venomous growl to hide his growing unease as he stared over at the collapsed waif that Gajeel had deposited on a table top nearby.

Gramps intervened before Laxus could grab Bickslow's shirt to shake answers out of the man. "Calm down, Laxus. We need to let Bickslow talk about what he sensed. For the moment we should assume that the souls' claiming that they sense Zeref's return in the near future is the truth. Bickslow knows souls better than any of us, so he would notice if something was off." As if speaking more to himself than to his audience, Gramps continued, "Zeref was unstoppable four hundred years ago, and this world was left in shambles when he disappeared without a trace. In that respect, those souls are correct about the Phenomena powers being on a different level from mages."

"Bicks, were those souls telling the truth?" Laxus snapped at his subordinate while processing what his grandfather was muttering.

Bickslow swallowed hard and nodded. A heavy sigh escaped the Seith mage as he glanced over at Freed and then back again. "Look, the kid's very much alive, but she's no longer human. I don't know how else to describe it, other than to say the Scales must have done something to her magic, and body. She isn't like anything I can even explain. I've seen way too many living souls to be wrong. Hound's soul has to have been messed with big time, in ways I can't begin to figure out. She doesn't even have normal magic power that any other mage's soul would reveal to me. All I can figure is that the Relic has twisted her into the perfect host. Kind of get the same vibe from the mage souls it contains also. From what I can tell, those funky scales contain a shit load of raw power that's mutated her soul over the years she's been merged with it. I'm hoping we can use the Seith Mage lie to keep her out of harm's way because my gut says that if she falls into the wrong hands, it's game over. Whatever else those Scales are, they are insanely dangerous. The Relic must be the reason that her magic is shifting between extremes of light and dark magic with every heart beat. It's as if the Scales are feeding off of both the light and dark magic extremes and becoming far more powerful each and every day all because of being inside Hound's body."

"Then the kid's dangerous to us all if that relic is able to screw around with souls, and absorb magic by infiltrating people's bodies to feed on their magic." Laxus growled as he shot the young girl they were discussing a hard glare.

"Laxus Sama, I don't think Hound is a danger to us so long as we don't try to hurt her. Her attached souls won't attack so long as we don't pose a real threat to her. The problem is the insane amount of power in the stone scrolls that accentuates the metals in the Relic's composition. In case you didn't notice, the stone that Relic was made from is a very rare kind of lacrima. A very pure form of lacrima to be exact." Freed interjected.

Gramps released a thoughtful hum as he stroked his mustache and took a seat at one of the tables. "You're right, Freed. I also noticed that the inscribed scrolls are made from rare rainbow lacrima. I've only seen chips of rainbow lacrima, on rare occasion before now. To think such large crystal points exist is frightening."

"Why's that?" Bickslow asked as his head bounced between Freed and Gramps while he waited for an answer.

Freed slipped into a booth seat as he spoke. "The known compression of magic power that a small rainbow Lacrima chip contains is equal to a single and very large Thunder Palace Lacrima sphere. If the compression ratio is correct, that means this ancient Relic is indeed dangerous. The full magnitude of magic it can contain is difficult to imagine."

Bickslow slouched onto the same bench, and continued fiddling with his visor. "Shit! You just made everything I noticed a whole lot worse by saying that, Freed. I go the feeling those souls are very capable of triggering a blast that would turn Magnolia and the surrounding area into a real deep crater lake if Lahar tries to lock that kid down."

"According to the Souls inhabiting the Scales, killing off the Phenomenon bloodlines of Light, and Neutrality has destroyed the world's magical power balance. Their little history lesson does give credibility to several things, like the loss of Healing mages in the last two centuries. Without the last sealed away member of the Heaven's Clan and the Earth Clan being found and aided, the Souls may even be correct that it is impossible to stop the Utter Dark Clan's return. If Zeref is any indication of that Bloodline's ruthlessness, and the Scales specified that Zeref is a member of the Utter Dark Clan, our future is in jeopardy. I cannot blame them for wanting to protect this world by taking out Zeref using the Scale's power. But, we can't allow Hound to fall into the wrong hands if the Scales have a fraction of the power those lacrimas can potentially store to detonate." Gramps was muttering so softly that only his lacrima enhanced hearing allowed Laxus to catch what was said.

"Get on with your report, Bicks. Lahar could return soon."

"Right, Boss. Hound's individual soul's being held down by the Relic's power with help from several souls who take turns controlling her body, and magic. The Relic seems to be some kind of focal for the souls to do whatever they want with that poor kid's body, and she's helpless to stop them. Although she's aware of them all, and must be living an unimaginable nightmare, the power contained in those scroll carved lacrimas scare the hell out of me because of how the powers getting used to suppress the host soul without difficulty. The kid's been reduced to a state where she's fully aware of her situation, and knows she's nothing but a battery for the souls that are actively using the Relic. I don't know anything about these Phenomenon Mages that these souls were screaming about earlier, but I do know that kid isn't fully human, and all those souls are exceptionally protective of Hound's body, if not her sanity. If the Council makes a wrong move, those souls will fight back, and I'm pretty sure they can access the full power contained in those rainbow lacrimas without trouble."

"Explain how the fuck you got the crazy idea that those souls can manipulate the lacrimas, Bickslow. Lacrimas store magic to back the specific spells that they are infused with for use at a later time. Lacrimas have set limits on how many spells they can hold. Furthermore, souls are very unstable, emotional residual beings according to you. They don't have enough brains to effectively use lacrimas."

"Trust me when I say that the souls inside Hound have retained every drop of their knowledge from when they were alive. Unlike my babies, Hound's souls are very capable of using the magic that's stored inside the lacrimas that Relic contains, Laxus Sama. If anything, you could say that their wills are so embedded within the lacrimas that they have become a kind of extension of the Relic's full power and can control and create new spells of a lot of diverse types. That's the biggest problem we have on our hands. Their inexplicable memory retention makes it very easy for those souls to manipulate all the power in that freaky ancient weapon. Make no mistake, the Scales are very much a viable weapon, Master." Bickslow snarled in response.

Gramps lifted a hand and interrupted before Laxus could formulate a come back. "If Bickslow says these souls somehow retained their original knowledge, we should trust his expertise, Laxus. He has nothing to gain by lying to us. Furthermore, Gajeel's confidence in the child's accuracy as an informant holds a lot of weight with me at least. Dear Lucy's in danger, and we need more information about Nirvana and the Tower's true purpose so we can respond to the threat appropriately. The souls Hound contains has given us a fair amount of history on Nirvana, and it needs to be taken seriously."

Frustration roiled through his veins as Laxus considered his grandfather's words. Much as he wanted to deny everything his grandfather said, Makarov had valid points. Angry as he was over everything that foiled his plans, Laxus recognized that Bickslow would not lie about what his magic revealed. Seith Mages had a difficult enough time getting along with the rest of society, without including the addition of a bad reputation getting added to the mix. Laxus felt his fists tighten as his molars popping from the strain of clenching his jaw. The ancients were known for creating monstrosities they could not control, and their legacy of massive destruction each time such a creation overloaded was well documented. And yet, for the life of him, Laxus could not accept that Blondie was capable of controlling Ancient Relics such as Gajeel's insane brat claimed.

"My problem isn't with Bickslow's take on things, Gramps. I'm wondering if those souls are lying, and managed to convince Bickslow that they're telling the truth. Am I the only one here that noticed there's a problem with their little story? They claimed Nirvana was an Ancient Relic designed by the neutral powered Earth Clan to stop the Utter Dark Clan from destroying this world once the Heaven's Clan was almost wiped out of existence. The plan was to use Nirvana to shift the warring tribes, including the Utter Dark bloodline's personality and magic toward light, which failed. But, the souls offered no explanation of why it failed, and even implied that this Nirvana overloaded. Claiming the lacrimas used to contain the magic intended to change darkness to light overcame the Neutral Phenomena bloodline, and the whole clan was driven mad according to them seems odd to me. The Relic's souls said the Clan slaughtered itself because of the magic going sour. Yet, if the Earth Clan was hammered by magical recoil from their own magic, how did the last living member of that Phenomenon branch manage to seal it away by sacrificing himself as a blood seal? The level of magical recoil the souls hinted at should have left one hell of an explosion crater if the lacrimas overloaded the way these souls made things sound."

"I don't know, My Boy. Their story is troubling and I have a feeling that those souls are hiding parts of the story from us for some reason. Still, the fact remains that Hound is in possession of a Relic that is probably equal to Nirvana's strength. We need to make certain that nothing disturbs the magic or the angry souls that girl contains in her fragile body. We need to convince Hound to stay with us, at least until this situation is resolved. If we don't, the souls will drive that poor child to her death as they try to stop whatever is about to happen." Gramps answered. Unable to argue against the inevitable, Laxus nodded.

~~oo0oo~~


	19. Chapter 18

A/N: Don't own the Fairy Tail Characters or cannon elements used as backgrounds. Welcome aboard to the newest followers and thanks for taking an interest in this story. To all the reviewers since I last posted, thanks so much for all your ongoing support, and input as needed. Hope this chapter will help clear up any lingering confusion about the O.C. I devised for this story line.

CHAPTER 18

"Explain how the fuck you got the crazy idea that those souls can manipulate the lacrimas, Bickslow. Lacrimas store magic to back the specific spells that they are infused with for use at a later time. Lacrimas have set limits on how many spells they can hold. Furthermore, souls are very unstable, emotional residual beings according to you. They don't have enough brains to effectively use lacrimas."

Bickslow felt his lips curling into his own snarl over what his best friend, and Guild Master was spitting out on a contempt laced growl. _'Well this is going to be one hell of a long night. The only good things that came out of our controlling Fairy Tail is getting to watch Freed's runes fry Natsu and Gray every single day, and Laxus getting to cozy up to Cosplayer like he's been wanting to since she joined. Running the Guild is far more exhausting than any of us imagined it would be when Laxus proposed this gig. Nothing's going the way we thought it would when we agreed to help Laxus, and here he is being an asshole to me after everything I've done for him.' _

'_The shit Gajeel's brat has dumped into Laxus lap is a lot more fucked up than I want to deal with, but Cosplayer's involved so we'll have to suck it up because Laxus is so hung up on her. With Laxus in this kind of mood, he'll go off on us all if I try to put everything I'm getting from those souls into words. I'm going to get zapped if I say what this kid probably is. She's way too dangerous for us to let Lahar to deal with by the book. Things are going to get a whole lot tougher because Laxus isn't thinking clearly. He's too hot to get in Cosplayer's panties to let anyone get by with grabbing her. If he was thinking with the head upstairs right now, he wouldn't be snapping that I'm going crazy for telling him what these souls are actually capable of doing. I've got to make him understand that somehow the lacrimas embedded in those scales preserved the dead's full knowledge of their lives. We might as well be dealing with living people which makes absolutely no sense on the surface of it. The dead are supposed to forget all but their strongest emotions when they died, but that isn't the case with these souls. Why does this kind of shit always seem to happen to me?' _

Squaring his jaw, Bickslow snarled in response. "Trust me when I say that the souls inside Hound have retained every drop of their knowledge from when they were alive. Unlike my babies, Hound's souls are very capable of using the magic that's stored inside the lacrimas that Relic contains, Laxus Sama. If anything, you could say that their wills are so embedded within the lacrimas that they have become a kind of extension of the Relic's full power and can control and create new spells of a lot of diverse types. That's the biggest problem we have on our hands. Their inexplicable memory retention makes it very easy for those souls to manipulate all the power in that freaky ancient weapon. Make no mistake, the Scales are very much a viable weapon, Master."

Makarov lifted a hand to calm the situation before Laxus could fry him, much to Bickslow's relief. "If Bickslow says these souls somehow retained their original knowledge, we should trust his expertise, Laxus. He has nothing to gain by lying to us. Furthermore, Gajeel's confidence in the child's accuracy as an informant holds a lot of weight with me at least. Dear Lucy's in danger, and we need more information about Nirvana and the Tower's true purpose so we can respond to the threat appropriately. The souls Hound contains has given us a fair amount of history on Nirvana, and I believe it needs to be taken seriously."

Although Bickslow appreciated the old man's interference, he also knew that Laxus was chafing, near desperate to lash out, and would not be curbed much longer. _'Why the fuck did those assholes have to pick Cosplayer for their schemes? This shit just had to involve Cosplayer getting snatched out from under Laxus nose! Losing dibs on her has put Laxus into a very dangerous mind set. He's smelling blood in the water, and determined to get his share of payback over his pride taking such a hard hit. Laxus isn't known for his patience during the best of times, never mind that he's been acting strange ever since Cosplayer joined the guild. I've never seen Laxus with such a hardcore boner over any woman before her. It's not like Cosplayer's done anything that I can even pinpoint to grab Laxus by his balls the way she has either. Laxus never gave a damn if a woman refused him before she happened. The way things are going, I can't help but wonder how long it's going to take Cosplay Queen to have Laxus wrapped around her little fucking fingers for good. Wish Laxus would realize he's losing his shit over the damned woman. Nothing I say's going to keep Laxus from getting her back, not even the Magic Council. The rest of us are nothing but punching bags until he's got her back which really sucks because Laxus doesn't normally doubt my magic this way.' _

Angry with himself over fearing Laxus' vicious mood, and even angrier over Laxus' snide remarks, Bickslow was struggling to explain what his magic knew about the possessed kid. Even though Bickslow understood what he sensed, he was nowhere near as smart as Freed about putting things into words. The thought of putting his magic's non verbal knowing into words was so daunting that Bickslow shied from the task. His tongue knotted into itself each time he considered asking questions about what Phenomenon Mages were like.

Makarov's sorrow tinged voice pulled Bickslow's attention back to the discussion. ". . . a feeling that those souls are hiding parts of the story from us for some reason. Still, the fact remains that Hound is in possession of a Relic that is probably equal to Nirvana's strength. We need to make certain that nothing disturbs the magic or the angry souls that girl contains in her fragile body. We need to convince Hound to stay with us, at least until this situation is resolved. If we don't, the souls will drive that poor child to her death as they try to stop whatever is about to happen."

Laxus scowl got even deeper, if that was possible. It was a bit shocking to see Laxus nod in reluctant agreement. Dropping his visor back onto his face, and crossing his arms of his chest, Bickslow jumped back into the conversation. "They seem to want us to prove that we can put their hints together to get the correct answer before they'll tell us the rest of it. Hound's one of the pieces of the puzzle, and I can't quite figure out which piece."

Freed removed his chin from the back of his overlapping knuckles, and straightened his back. "It makes sense that these unusual souls would want to test us to see if we are worthy allies considering everything they believe is at stake."

Makarov nodded in agreement to what Freed was saying. "In that case, we need to bring the puzzle pieces together so we have something to work with in order to figure out the hidden meaning."

Freed turned to the side and motioned for Mirajane to come over. The white maned barmaid hurried over with several glasses on a tray. "I figure you guys could use something to drink." She gushed as she began setting their favorite drinks in front of each of them. "I have the newest jobs packet for you to rank, Freed. Do you want me to take it to your office, or leave it here for you to work on now?"

"Bring the packet, and a notepad for me please. I'll sort the missions as soon as our meeting is completed so you can post everything first thing in the morning." Freed responded.

Bickslow chugged half of his beer in a quick series of gulps as Makarov turned to stare at his grandson with accusing eyes. "What is Mira talking about, Laxus? S class packets are always kept separate from the regular mission packets when they arrive."

"It's part of the deal to keep the Council from closing our doors, Gramps. All missions are now ranked from one to six on a difficulty scale. The new system is a way to insure people don't do missions they can't safely handle, while curbing our most destructive members. The Magic Council is very interested in seeing how our prototype system works because they are thinking of making all missions fit within the same criteria to send out to all guilds."

"Laxus, why would you do something like this to your guild mates?" Makarov sounded upset Bickslow noted as he glanced over at Freed who was clearing his throat.

"Laxus Sama is trying to save our Guild, Makarov San. We came up with a way to help calm the Magic Council which would be easy to implement as a show of compliance to the Council's demands. For now, any mission that fits a one ranking can be taken by all members of our guild. On the other side of the coin, a person who has decent magical control, discipline, and strength can take all types of missions that are ranked one through five from the main boards on this level. Any member who has earned the fifth or sixth level rating also has the right to go on S class missions with any of our resident S class mages. Due to the number of problems this guild has with very destructive mages, Natsu, Gray, and all of our most destructive members have to pass magical control training requirements to move up the ranking ladder to appease the Council. Natsu San can only take rank one missions until he proves he is willing to control his magic output during an attack as an example of how the new system is being implemented." Freed finished explaining as Mira returned with a notepad, a pitcher of beer, and a large envelope.

Bickslow held up his empty mug which Mira refilled before handing him the pitcher as Makarov banged his fist on the table top. "That's preposterous! How can you possibly rank missions effectively? Clients lie to get their missions fulfilled on the cheap side!"

"Which is precisely why Freed now ranks every mission request instead of Mira. Close to one hundred undervalued missions went on the main board last year alone, with seven of them being devalued to hide their S rank reality. Fairy Tail Mages got injured in the majority of those missions due to client lies! Freed's keen eye for detail means that anything that looks off gets followed up with the client to insure we have enough details before their mission is put on the boards. Consider it an added safety measure for our members, Gramps!" Laxus barked in the specific tone that made Bickslow jump every time he heard it.

Gajeel slid onto the bench beside Laxus and thunked his beer stein on the table. "He's right, Makarov. You know I ended up doing two of those hidden S rank jobs last year. Flame brain and his group managed to survive three of them, and they got lucky that they have an S class on their main team already. It took you a couple weeks to get me out of hot water with both of the miss marked missions I took."

Bickslow felt his mouth moving almost before he understood he was inclined to add anything to the topic. "We got one of the others. Our experience doing actual S class sanctioned jobs with Master Laxus saved our asses, Makarov San. The guild hasn't had any problem with the new verification and rating system that's in place aside from Gray, Elfman, and Natsu. Even Cosplay Queen thinks it's a great idea to verify and concisely rank all the missions for safety reasons. Her only problem with it is that any mage that screws up gets their mission levels temporarily downgraded as a form of punishment."

Freed took over the explanation, much to Bickslow's relief. "The rating system is also intended to encourage mages to stretch outside of their normal security levels. A single level up can help our members see their improvement as they complete ongoing training programs that Master Laxus has had us design into the rating system. Even if this policy is far from perfect, it is a useful measurement tool for promoting personal progress. Class one jobs are the cheapest, and the safest. Class two lets the weakest members step into harder jobs without having to worry about whether it will prove too difficult to fulfill their task when they're on the actual job site. Members can still form teams to take higher ranked jobs. With all of our mission boards now divided into clear rankings, our members no longer have to spend an hour looking for a job that fits their needs. We have shifted the focus of the upstairs area to allow ranks five through S Class mages regular access to the area. The only criteria for the fifth ranked mages to go upstairs is that they must have working ties to our S Class members. Rank six need not have the same working team attachment because the sixth ranked jobs are now kept upstairs. The more dubious rank six missions are also upstairs on a separately warning marked board. Of course none of the lower ranks can snatch S Class missions any longer as those are now kept in my office. We hold bi-weekly S class member meetings to insure those missions are not stolen, Makarov San."

Mirajane startled Bickslow when she spoke up from behind his left shoulder. "Most of our members approve of that change in how the Guild's run. Levi Chan's translation or teaching missions are all ranked in the five and six level rankings due to the level of experience they require. Clients are pleased that they are getting better qualified mages when it comes to missions like demonstrations requests."

Freed nodded. "Very true. Anyway, we should get back to the main reason we're all sitting here. We have a puzzle to solve so we can devise appropriate strategies to get Miss Lucy back, and prevent a catastrophe from occurring."

Bickslow felt his stomach tighten back into a knot over the reminder that they were not finished with the nightmarish subject that had been temporarily set aside. "Well, Gajeel is the one who was first contacted, so he should probably start with the main information he was given, and we'll go from there."

A grunt from the Iron Slayer was the precursor that Gajeel was willing. "Hound brought me news that the Balam Alliance is looking for some ancient weapon called Nirvana. Seems they already have control over their Tower of Heaven, and they also plan to take control of something called Eclipse. Oracion Seis believes Bunny Girl is the key to fusing the three magics together to create some kind of super weapon."

"I don't see how Blondie's magic ability to summon spirits can be used to fuse powerful magical items together as a single weapon." Laxus complained. "Granted she's got a lot of brains, but unless they are thinking to force her to translate something for them, I can't really see what they hope to accomplish by grabbing her."

"For whatever reason, the leader of Oracion Seis seems to believe Bunny Girl's more than a Celestial Mage, Master Laxus. Even I know that certain types of magic carry a death penalty if they get used. I'm not familiar with what a Phenomenon magic would even look like, but they've decided Bunny's one of them for some reason." Gajeel countered with a glare.

Freed talked as he continued to scribble notes. "According to past research I've done on all types of magic, Phenomenon Magic is a very rare bloodline trait. A person of the bloodline in question has the ability to influence all elements contained within a specific range by creating a unifying power field. The fastest way to cause a unifying field that can unite objects so that they will function as a single weapon would be to place the Phenomenon carrier's blood on all the related objects while keeping them within the specified area parameters to make the field viable for control through bloodline carrier. At least that is what has been documented as the reason that Phenomenon Magic is forbidden. It is blood magic, and was condemned under that specific criteria one hundred and seventy two years ago by the Fiore Monarchy."

Bickslow saw his chance to keep from getting shocked while also helping Freed spill what he did not dare say. "The Souls in Hound said that the Scales were made by the Phenomenon of Light Clan. They also said there are only three clans with the Phenomenon powers. Since they made sure the information about Cosplay Queen being pegged as one of the Phenomenon clans was kept from Lehar, while bitching him out about how that law is breaking the balance between Light, Neutrality, and Darkness, I'm worried about what other kinds of things these Phenomenon bloods can do. Any ideas, Freed?"

Freed sat up straight, pen tapping the table top lightly as he sorted through his mind for answers. "I do recall a few passages that dealt with the Phenomenon powers seeming to have a noticeable side effect on all the communities they were most often in contact with now that you mention it, Bickslow."

Laxus leaned forward and growled. "Where did you get your information, and what kind of side effects, Freed?"

"The passages I translated several years ago for a client mentioned Phenomenon powers were normal for the Aethers Clan. The thing that stood out most was the prevalence of healers born inside the Clan's hereditary domain. The ancient text I translated said that the communities saw the largest healing magic population born of any part of the world. Another larger than normal magic rate that was consistent among the children born in that area was Heavenly Body Magic. The text also cited that the vast majority of their healing mages were consistently disbursed through the lands with a mission to ease the world's suffering. However, the text alluded to other Light magics, also consistently higher by birthrate within the Aethers Clan domain. I also recall translating chapters that mentioned the Nirvit Clan being the Neutral Phenomenon clan, and allies of the Light Clan. The text mentioned things like Oracle Magic and Time Arc having a stronger than normal concentration within their hereditary region." Freed spoke as if he were physically reading the actual book and distilling it as he went.

"Meaning the third clan had abnormal concentrations of the blackest powers within their domain, also having some ability to insure all children born in their area had dark magic." Makarov finished the thought.

"The Scales said that fools like Lahar had slaughtered the light clan to the brink of extinction, and that those actions shattered the balance that brings stability to all forms of Creation. It also said Zeref was returning and that he was a member of the Utter Dark clan. Hound's relic even claims to exist solely for the purpose of fighting the Utter Dark clan." Gajeel added.

Bickslow felt his brows beetle as he absorbed everything said and tried to figure out how everything applied to Hound specifically when multiple squeaky voices started chanting, "Earth is awake. Earth is awake."

Whipping his upper body around, Bickslow watched as his Babies floated and spun around Hound as she sat up on the table top. The sickly looking girl ground her hands into her eyes as if to clear them of trash, which was very likely considering the state of her grimy, oversized shirt that was standing in for a dress.

"Did Bickslow's souls really say 'Earth is awake' the way it sounded? Or am I hearing things?" Makarov's troubled voice hit Bickslow's ears like a sledge hammer.

Laxus voice dropped a dangerous half octave, "Biiiiiicks?"

Turning slowly, Bickslow saw the all too familiar, narrow eyed fury on Master Laxus' face. His heart started pounding as Laxus magic began writhing across bare, very powerful clenching, and flexing forearm muscles. Bickslow's tongue tripped all over itself trying to get the words out as fast as he could. "Uhm, w,w,well I'm not really sure, but I have this little, really little, kind of sneaky suspicion t,t,t,that the k,k,kid might be one of the Phenomenons? Granted I'm no expert on this kind of stuff, b,but she does have a m,m,m,magicalrelicliterallystuckinherbody. Damn, why not ask Freed cause he's the smart one!"

It came as no surprise when Bickslow felt the current slam through his chest and flash along every nerve ending he possessed. "Why the fuck do you always do this, Bicks? You've been dancing around something ever since Lahar left, and I knew it!"

Freed's calm, dry voice came to Bickslow's rescue before Laxus jolted him a second time. "Considering how often you've shocked Bickslow over saying things you don't want to hear, I'd say he's learned a healthy aversion to telling you bad news, Laxus Sama."

"Not you too, Freed!" Laxus bellowed as Bickslow found himself looking up at the ceiling, meaning he had fallen onto the floor as the last of the current drained out of his system.

"Laxus! Stop this foolishness right now! You're the Guild Master now, and the job requires compassion and patience, not unnecessary violence that makes your members fear following you!" Makarov barked in a bid to restore order.

"Blacky, can I get my pay so I can go? Everyone's so noisy. 'Sides I need to go find something to eat." Hound asked on the heels of a huge yawn, as if she did not have a care in the world. Or so it seemed to Bickslow. Several souls attached to the strange kid had chosen to show themselves on the heel's of Laxus' venting his wrath with a strong zap much to Bickslow's consternation. The souls had unusual striations of color that fascinated Bickslow since he had never seen such colors during the duration of his career as a mage. Unlike with his babies, chords of energy linked the souls to the girl's chest, reminding Bickslow of chains. The thought made Bickslow shudder as he pulled himself back up onto the bench with a grimace of lingering pain. His babies were curious, yet also on guard as they remained on the outer periphery of the defensive posture Hound's souls had taken around their person.

"We've been locked in for the night by Lahar, Hound. We can't get through the barrier he set up without all of us going to prison as soon as he tracks us down. If you're hungry, I'm sure we can get you something from Mira. She's a great cook." Gajeel was telling their dangerous guest.

"Mira! Make the brat something to eat! She's awake!" Laxus voice boomed in the guild with enough force for Mirajane to hear him all the way on the outskirts of Magnolia it seemed to Bickslow.

Gajeel rubbed his abused ears with a grimace and shudder that Bickslow understood perfectly. Whenever Laxus yelled, his voice was exceptionally powerful. Getting trapped in the guild, with a child who had the potential to destroy their Guild simply by existing was not sitting well with Laxus, even though Bickslow had no doubt that the furious man was determined to find a way to outwit the Council.

As his thoughts spun about the souls surrounding Hound, Bickslow found himself zoning out the conversations going on around him. The souls were all too aware of his presence. They seemed to be intent upon sharing more information, yet it was for his knowing alone as Bickslow found more images and thoughts swirling around his brain. They knew he was trying to protect their anchoring person, and were grateful for his previous lie. At the same time, it seemed as if they were also determined to riffle through Bickslow's mind no matter that he did not want them to pilfer his own history.

"Hey, Hound?" Bickslow found himself speaking as a plan began to solidify in his mind.

The grubby looking youngster turned to face him with unfocused eyes. "Huh?"

"I've got an idea to help you keep the Council off your ass. You interested?"

Bickslow felt all eyes land on him, but he ignored the rest of the guild's occupants as he stared at the young girl. She looked around at her visibly pulsing rainbow hued partners as if they were having a silent discussion. Facing him after several moments, Hound shrugged. "We'll listen to what you have to say and decide from there."

"I told Lahar you're a Seith Mage to keep him from figuring out the truth. Seems to me that with you having souls capable of coming out like some of them have, that it would be real simple to make you look the part. The Council can't find out the truth about you, or all of our lives are over. So how about it? You and your souls willing to play the part?"

Eyes unfocused, Hound went back to looking at her guardian souls as they held another silent conference. Voice taking on that same uncomfortable echoing sound, they answered together. "What does this disguise entail, Bickslow?"

"First thing we need is to find some of your souls an outside home like my babies use. If they're willing to take up residence inside totems that act like miniature bodies, I think we can go a long way to disguising you're real powers. Seith Mages are supposed to help lost souls find a home and erase the anger those souls feel since it traps them here. Even though your souls are unlike any I've ever seen before, the Council doesn't know that. I've already given their lackey a viable explanation of why you have so many souls trapped inside of you. Bringing a few of them out, and giving them a normal totem casing can only help you avoid getting taken."

The weird kid again went into that strange trance like state as she communed with the ghosts floating around her. "So some of us would have to look like your souls do in order to carry out this disguise. Will we be able to return to our home if we accept this disguise?"

"I don't see why you wouldn't be able to swap out in shifts and do what you need to do to protect your Mage. I've had to send my souls into toys and things other than their totems many times over my career as a Seith Mage. It should work the same way with you guys, and if done right, you won't be chained so closely to your mage."

"Where do we start?" The souls responded in tandem through Hound's mouth.

Mirajane was heading toward their table with a plate in her hand as Bickslow felt his muscles begin to relax. "Eat first. I need to see if there's anything around here that we can use to make some totems for the disguise. Once we've got that part ready, I'll explain the actual magic to let you soul's lose the shackles that are limiting your motion range."

Freed smiled as their guest's eyes widened over the food set before her. "The faster we convince the Magic Council that this child is a Seith mage, the better."

Makarov chuckled. "I couldn't agree more if I tried, Freed. Hound needs our help and protection. None of this is her fault. She's in the same position as Laxus was when he was a child, without having any say in her circumstances."

The glare Laxus leveled on his grandfather gave Bickslow another reason to cringe. "You're going to cause me an even bigger headache because you're already getting attached to this scrawny brat, aren't you, Gramps?"

"Bickslow's correct about our needing to give little Hound a fool proof disguise for her own safety and ongoing freedom, My boy. Even you can see that she's in a similar position to yourself I'm sure."

A chest deep growl rippled up Laxus throat as he stared at the fast eating child who was so busy bolting her food Bickslow wondered if the kid even knew how to chew. "She'll have to put on a good show and actually learn enough tricks from Bickslow to pull off the disguise which means having to hang around this guild if we're going to pull this off, Gramps."

Hound choked as she tried to swallow everything in her mouth. Gajeel thumped her back several times to get her breathing again. The kid's eyes were saucer wide as she figured out what Laxus meant. Before she could protest anything Freed was speaking. "If anyone has the hard experience of protecting someone who the Council has an abnormal interest in due to an object that has been implanted within their body, it's Makarov Sama. The safest avenue would be to convince the Council that Bickslow needs to train young Hound. We can insure that she has far more freedom than the Council would ever give her, while gaining a powerful new member capable of helping us get Miss Lucy back by gaining a large amount of intelligence on the situation once her souls can do long range travel."

Bickslow watched as Hound and her souls began speaking telepathically yet again so he started talking to calm the kid's fear. "She'll learn Seith magic really quick, I'm sure. Plus, having the relic inside her body means that it's safe so long as the fact that she's it's hiding place doesn't get out as Makarov warned Lahar to keep it quiet because of things Hound overheard while she was spying. Much as he hated hearing that there's a leak in the Council, Lahar's no idiot. He may have thrown a fit about it, but I think he'll keep a lid on it for now. Who knows? Maybe the power in the relic will even give her souls a much larger range of movement than my babies have once they all have an understanding of Seith Magic. I'd say it's a win, win situation that can only help Hound become an even better sneak than she already is with her limited understanding of magic."

With a soft snort, Laxus lifted one of his massive arms and rested the back of his knuckles against his chin. His voice was thoughtful, yet resigned sounding when Laxus finally broke the sudden silence. "The Council can't be trusted to look after this brat, and they won't let her get away from them if they can help it because of the fucking relic that keeps her alive. Nobody deserves to be put in a fucking cage because of fucked up idiots fusing us with magical items to make us stronger. Hate to admit it, but it looks like the only thing we can do to keep our asses intact is make this damned brat a member of Fairy Tail."

Hound's head tilted to the side as she stared up at Laxus with her brows scrunched together. "Us? Who else is like me?"

"I am, Brat. My old man implanted a Dragon Lacrima in me when I was real young, sort of like you." Laxus grumbled.

Fork clattering onto her plate, Hound stared at Laxus for several tense moments. "You mean, I'm not alone in being cursed because of being trapped with the Scales?"

Bickslow was not sure what the odd emotion that flitted across Laxus face meant before he shifted his hand to rub across his face. "You're only cursed by it if you don't learn to control it, and protect yourself, Brat. Learn to control everything at your disposal, and you can turn everything around and become a force to reckon with that the Magic Council will have no choice but leave alone. So learn everything you can so you get strong enough that nobody can screw with you."

Hound's head straightened as did her hunched shoulders as she stared back at Laxus with a defiant air when he removed his hand from his tired eyes. Both arms crossing over his chest, Laxus stared back at her in challenge. Bickslow felt his muscles tightening yet again as the pair continued glaring for some time. Unlike the other times, Hound's souls seemed to hold their silence as Hound's eyes never lost their focus. Unsure of whether the kid was going to explode, bolt, or accept the situation, Bickslow called his babies back so that they hovered in a semicircle at his shoulders. A feral smirk suddenly lifted Hound's lips as she gave Laxus a single nod before returning to bolt the rest of her meal. Several collective sighs filled the guild hall as everyone recalled how to breathe. Bickslow felt his muscles unlock. Much as he found himself uncomfortable with the idea of having a kid underfoot, it was his chance to contribute to protecting Laxus back, and their guild so he would do all he could to teach the grimy little girl how to be the best Seith Mage around.

~~oo0oo~~


	20. Chapter 19

A/N: Don't own the Fairy Tail Characters or cannon elements used as backgrounds. Anyway, this chapter was very hard to write. Writing Loke's POV is always difficult for me, but people do need to see what's happening with Lucy and Wendy. **Am I the only one having constant difficulty with the server, message center, download manager, and docX these days? Every time I think it is fixed, a new glitch happens so I can't load or post. **Hope you enjoy this new chapter now that I've gotten it posted.

CHAPTER 19

Loke wondered about what transpired once he returned to the spirit world as he carried Lucy away from her captors. His thoughts replayed the last things he had seen as he faded into the spirit realm for the first time in three years. Horror bounced about his mind as Loke recalled seeing a group of cloaked individuals charging toward Lucy, right after she collapsed from magic depletion. If not for him, Lucy would not have suffered acute depletion from her determination to save his life. As Loke reached toward Lucy, unable to scream any warning because he was too incorporeal, and weakened, Laxus had appeared between Lucy and the charging group. The last thing Loke saw was the group taking up battle positions facing Laxus. Yet Loke had felt reassured that Lucy was safe as he looked around his true home after such a long absence. Learning that he was wrong about his new Master being safe left Loke reeling with a multitude of questions.

"Would you slow down? You're a terrible rescuer. Leaving behind two of your charges is inexcusable!" A high pitched, yet haughty voice snapped from behind.

Shaking free of his thoughts, Loke cast a glance back at his unexpected charges. The most startling part of the escalating situation Loke was in had to be the little blue haired girl, and her nagging, white winged cat.

"Virgo was kind enough to release you during our attack to save our Master. I don't even know your names! At the moment we are in a very dangerous situation. Your nagging and crashing around is giving our position away so I'd appreciate it if you would shut up and let me think of a way out of this mess, Cat."

"Sorry that Charle is being so mean. She's just worried because we don't know anything about you either." The little girl gasped in reply. It did not escape Loke's notice that she continued to doggedly jog, and trip trying to catch up with him.

"I'm the Leader of the Zodiac Spirits, Leo the Lion, and a mage of Fairy Tail. You can call me Loke. This is my Master, Lucy Heartfilia, the most compassionate Celestial Spirit Mage we spirits have had the pleasure to serve in several centuries." Loke responded in a softer voice. The little girl seemed like a sweetheart, unlike her vile tempered companion. "We need to keep going. We've got to get more distance between us and the enemy before we dare stop to rest. How much longer do you think you can run?"

"Wendy and I are mortals, unlike you. Wendy needs to rest very soon." The cat snapped yet again.

"Stop it, Charle! He's right about us needing to get far away from Brain. They want to do horrible things to all of us." Wendy cried before firming her tiny jaw and forcing a bit more speed from her shaking, banged up legs.

The duo continued to chase after Loke with dogged determination, despite the little girl's constant tripping over roots and rocks as they fled from the cave. Recognizing that he was angry due to inexplicable fears, Loke turned his mind back to his prior thoughts.

'_What happened to Laxus? Having observed Laxus for three years, I'm aware of subtle things that very few people notice about him, specifically the man's territorial tendencies. I know Laxus has an interest in Lucy which makes her capture very confusing. Whenever Laxus gets interested in a woman, even without long term intentions, he always gets possessive until the woman sleeps with him. Once Laxus wins the chase, he quickly loses interest. But I can't believe Lucy has given into Laxus already. It doesn't fit what I've noticed about her. Laxus should still be in his possessive mood where she's concerned. What am I missing?'_ Another thud from Wendy alerted Loke to the fact she had yet again tripped and fallen.

"I'm sorry . . . that I'm . . . so clumsy . . . , Loke San." The little girl gasped as she tried to scramble back onto her feet, breath hissing with strain.

Looking around the area, Loke thought he heard running water. "I think I hear a stream nearby. If you can make it that far, we'll rest for a few minutes."

"Humph. I'll have to carry Wendy. She can't go on like this." The white feline complained as she swooped down and latched onto her little girl.

Listening to the increasing sound of flowing water, Loke trotted toward the sound, almost as winded as the little girl. His thoughts continued to puzzle out the situation with Laxus. Dread over the second implication of having to rescue his new owner increased Loke's certainty that Laxus had lost a magic battle. Such a thought was worse than unpleasant due to the circumstances. Loke knew he was fast running out of strength and was useless for actually protecting his new savior if the dark mages attacked them. Without Laxus' ill tempered intervention, it would be difficult to keep Lucy safe. Despite his rising reservations, Loke hoped that Laxus was actively searching for Lucy because Laxus could use his lightning magic to get the beautiful girl back to the guild where the full might of the members could be used to protect Lucy.

Lucy's current vulnerability tore at Leo's pride as the defacto Zodiac leader. As she was now his Master, tradition demanded that Loke keep from falling face first with Lucy in his arms once they left this place. It would not do for the leader of the zodiac to allow his new mistress to suffer additional injury through his carelessness. Due to lingering exhaustion, Loke had to force his focus to stay where it was needed most, upon his race away from Lucy's enemies.

The ginger haired man jinked around several more tree trunks, and leapt over brush as he sought to get Lucy further from her captors. Bone deep exhaustion aside, Loke was not going to let anything stop him from getting Lucy far away from her abductors so she could recover in safety. If nothing else came of his pushing himself beyond his limits, Loke was determined to find a communication Lacrima and get in touch with Fairy Tail. Once that goal was achieved, Loke knew he could have Lucy's team come get her, . . . if he did not cross Laxus path first as part of him hoped he would. If he found Laxus, at least Loke would be able to reassure himself of the man's survival, if not being able to help him without offending the Lightning Mage.

"We have to stop soon, Loke San," little Wendy called out in a remorseful tone.

A glance back reminded Loke that he should be keeping a sharper eye on the exhausted little girl who was in far worse shape than himself. Yet Loke was reluctant to stop because Aquarius and Virgo had granted Loke the opening he needed to escape from the cave that seemed to be the kidnapers' base camp. Having no idea of how Aquarius and Virgo's battle had gone, Loke gritted his teeth and hoped they had bought enough time to insure that he escaped with their precious master.

Hearing the little girl yelp yet again, Loke slowed to a trot, lungs billowing as he sucked in much needed air. Realizing that young Wendy had been dropped by Charle, who was panting as hard as himself, Loke stopped to allow both of his other unexpected charges to rest. Seeing the stream through the trees, Loke slowed even more as he found a fallen tree that had created a natural bridge of sorts. It would be a perfect resting place for Lucy and the little girl. With sure strides, Loke magically checked over the spot to insure it was not being occupied by anything dangerous before placing his new Master against the log and wheeled toward the stream to get a much needed drink for his parched throat.

Loke shook his head as he saw the straining white cat set her companion beside the stream. It was not little Wendy's fault that she was so young and small which meant Loke had to make sure she could follow his lead. His mind was busy trying to sort out the reasons why he was so irritated at Laxus on top of handling the worry about how to get everyone away from the area. Multiple other emotions were surfacing, but they were less easy to accept than the most obvious problem of Lucy being rescued by her spirits, using their own power no less. Fear, worry, elation, determination, and anger were all demanding Loke's attention as he sought to calm his own labored breathing.

Sinking to the ground for a drink, Loke drug his thoughts away from Lucy, Laxus, and the child's situation as he scooped up handfuls of icy water. Once his thirst was sated, Loke picked Lucy up and laid her across his lap. Knowing how dicey things remained, Loke tried to keep alert to any possible dangers that might be prowling in the area. Yet again Loke found his thoughts turning back toward Laxus in an attempt to figure out why Lucy was stolen out from under the man's nose.

During his time at Fairy Tail, Loke had come to enjoy an unspoken rivalry with the Guild's resident bad boy, now the Guild Master. They both went after any woman that caught their eye with whole hearted enjoyment of the chase, and even competed with each other for the same women on occasion. Both of them strove to make sure they would not be forgotten by the women who agreed to their terms.

The fun of competing with Laxus Dreyer for the title of Fair Tail's biggest Playboy became a cornerstone of Loke's life. As his spirit body weakened, Loke had begun to rely upon Laxus competing with him for a sense of stability. While Laxus always kept his conquests to very short term frolics in bed minus lingering emotional attachments, Loke preferred to see how long he could keep multiple women happy in spite of them being aware of being part of a harem. Many of Loke's fondest memories flashing through his head involved his rivalry with Laxus as he sought to catch his breath.

"Thank you for finally stopping. I'm sorry we can't keep up." Wendy spoke to him a she wrung her hands in her lap while sitting beside the brook.

"Wish I didn't have to push us all so hard, but our Guild Master is missing, and he was the one who was protecting my Master when this Dark Guild attacked. I'm very worried about these people catching us because I'm too exhausted to be of much help in protecting any of you right now. Lucy Sama is magically depleted and I cannot stay out on my own power for very long." Loke admitted as he yanked his sun glasses off and wiped sweat from his face to ease the sting to his eyes.

"Are you saying that your Guild Master was taken out by these jerks? Wendy and I were out on a mission when we were attacked." Charle's tone of voice went from waspish to terrified in a blink of an eye.

Loke nodded. "Yeah, we spirits have been forced into the position of rescuing Lucy Sama using only our own power. Few of us are strong enough to open our own gates, much less fight effectively without our contracted Mage's magic backing our attacks. The fact Lucy Sama was abducted has to mean that our new guild Master, Laxus Dreyer, got hit with tactics so foul that he lost his battle against the mage group I glimpsed when Lucy Sama collapsed from magical exhaustion. I was forced to return tot he Spirit World and it took time to get enough energy to return to help rescue her. If Master Laxus got badly injured, or killed, we are in very dire circumstances. Considering he's one of the strongest mages in this nation, I'm very worried about our chances of evading the enemy for long with my own power being so depleted."

"Too bad Wendy's exhausted from running. She could probably heal your Master if she rests and eats enough to recover. Then you could use your Master's power to help fight." Charle answered as her little arms crossed over her dress.

"Unfortunately, until I spend a few days in the spirit world to fully recover, Lucy Sama's power won't be able to give me enough strength to make any difference. Master Laxus is our best hope of escaping capture."

True worry settled deeper within Loke's mind over the possibility of these mages taking Laxus down. Knowing that Laxus detested the idea of showing weakness to anyone, Loke had watched the man train rigorously to remove every perceived weakness a mage could have. Laxus had trained his body and his magic to whittle away any and all rough edges that could be used against him since he was a child. If Laxus was injured badly, and dying, it was even possible Laxus would stubbornly refuse to call for help out of his pig headed belief that he was weak. The depressing thought had Loke sighing in frustration.

"Where was your Guild Master the last time you saw him?" The cat demanded.

"We were near Balsam when a group of cloaked Mages attacked. I couldn't see any of their faces to identify them." Loke hedged.

A glance at Lucy increased Loke's unease. The young woman had saved his life, yet saving her in return felt impossible. Being hunted by mages powerful enough to defeat Laxus meant Loke had no chance of protecting Lucy in his current state. Despite the fact that Laxus was an arrogant jerk to most Fairy Tail mages, Loke admired the man's dedication to controlling his magic. To become so strong, Laxus taught himself how to become a very tough fighter. If anything, it was the realization of Laxus having lost a fight that terrified Loke the most. Unlike many members of the guild, Loke had witnessed Laxus fight during missions on several occasions. The small, exhausted group's situation was bleak to say the least if Laxus had lost to his opponents.

Such ideas continued to circle about Loke's brain, trapping him within his concern for Laxus' well being. It hurt to think that Laxus, one of the few humans that Loke truly understood, was laying injured, perhaps dying, if not already dead. Their unspoken competition had forged an odd kinship between Loke and Laxus that both acknowledged without words. Though Loke would never think of Laxus as family by any stretch of the imagination, he did respect the hot headed Lightning Mage because of their shared passion for chasing beautiful women.

Pain flared through Loke's chest over the thought that Laxus might be dead. For all the humans he had watched die over the centuries, few of them made any impression on Loke outside of their abusiveness. Laxus was one of the rare exceptions that Loke knew he would remember for centuries. Although Laxus was a genuine asshole to most people, they had enjoyed the constant challenges they gave each other while pursuing women. The thought of Laxus suffering somewhere without anyone to get to him felt very wrong on multiple levels to Loke. However, it was the tiny splinter of emotions now gaining traction that made Loke the most uncomfortable with himself as he continued running as fast as he dared.

Before his reinstatement into the Zodiac, Loke had accepted several women who Laxus had indulged himself with before discarding without any issues. A few of the women in Loke's life had migrated to Laxus before disappearing for good. If anything, Loke liked his women to be experienced, and knew they were not virgins once Laxus was done with them. And yet, here Loke was, finding himself at odds with himself over how to proceed with protecting Lucy from the enemy.

Because Laxus was the best option to get Lucy away from her captors, even if the man was badly injured, Loke found himself praying his rival was alive. Yet, for the first time, Loke was wondering how Laxus having an interest in his new mistress would change their long standing rivalry. It was startling to realize that he was feeling resentful of having to hand Lucy over to the Lightning Mage so he could return to the Spirit World to finish recovering.

To Loke's way of thinking, Laxus should have fought harder than normal to keep Lucy safe if he was planning on making her into his latest conquest. It only made sense that Laxus would try to keep Lucy close due to his obvious interest in the young woman.

Much to Loke's growing chagrin, the idea of Laxus losing interest in Lucy, and abandoned her surfaced as an explanation for Lucy's current situation. Once the idea entered his thoughts, Loke could not discount the possibility, despite it putting Lucy in a dangerous position. It was no secret that Laxus hated weakness, and if he thought Lucy was too weak to bother with, it became a possibility that Loke found somewhat mollifying. If Laxus had lost interest in Lucy, then Loke's own renewed lease on life gave him plenty of opportunities to win Lucy's undivided attention. If Laxus had failed to protect Lucy and was still interested in her, then their rivalry could escalate into a very nasty fight if Laxus was still alive. Loke found part of himself leaping for joy at the idea of beating Laxus at the game of love when he glanced down at Lucy again.

It shocked Loke to realize he was feeling jealousy toward Laxus. Such had never happened to Loke whenever other men took an interest in the girls he had in his harem while he was waiting to die. Still, Loke was discovering that he felt very real annoyance over Laxus having expressed genuine interest in Lucy before taking over the guild. For the first time in Loke's immortal life, the thought of a woman getting used and discarded rankled. The 'King of One Night Stands' getting his hands on Lucy Heartfilia bothered Loke as nothing else could. Worst of all, Loke had no idea how to handle the unexpected resentment over knowing that Laxus planned to use his one night stand routine on Lucy Heartfilia. Of all the women Laxus could chase, use and discard, Lucy was the first woman Loke could not stand aside and let Laxus use in good conscience. Suddenly, the plan to hand Lucy over to Laxus felt as if Loke was agreeing that Laxus got to have her first, and that angered him.

Every glance at Lucy's sleeping face seemed to increase Loke's never before felt possessive side which was disorienting Loke even more than his bone deep exhaustion. The only reason Loke was certain he was even feeling possessive was due to having heard other men say similar things to what was spinning through his own mind.

Logic dictated that it was ideal if Loke could find Laxus, and hand Lucy over to the man. Unlike Loke, Laxus had the ability to teleport Lucy to real safety, and the knowledge hurt the Lion spirit more than he could comprehend. Feeling as if he was doomed to fail his unexpected savior was a harsh blow to Loke's ego already. The complication of the rising emotional ties to Lucy was making Loke more determined to save her on his own. However, centuries of experience meant Loke knew that it was an unrealistic desire.

It had not escaped Loke's notice that there was an unusual intensity in Laxus Dreyer's way of watching Lucy since she arrived. It was the subtle difference in how Laxus watched Lucy that most bothered Loke now that he knew he had a second chance at life. Before Lucy saved him, Loke had wondered if the new Celestial Mage was going to be the one to bring Laxus to his knees, and wrap him around her fingers. When he was dying, Loke had found the idea amusing. Loke had even hoped he would last long enough to see Lucy prove she had what it took to tame his favorite rival for the choicest women's attention. The Spirit found enjoyment in the idea of spending his final days as the reigning king of playboys.

Now, getting Lucy's attention was fast becoming one thing that Loke wanted with every fiber of his being. It was no secret to Loke that Laxus had similar ideas, if very different ways of gaining said attention. Lucy Heartfilia, Loke's new Master, was sinfully gorgeous, if far too innocent to know how to effectively seduce a man, . . . yet. Once she learned the truth about her own sexual power, Loke knew she was going to become a very sensual woman capable of wrapping any man she wanted around her fingers in a matter of minutes.

The young woman had an internal brilliance that made her very desirable, and it was obvious that Laxus felt the same way Loke did. Instead of shying from her obvious innocence, the light she radiated was a major factor in drawing the two biggest Fairy Tail playboys attention to her. Loke could not decide if he hated it, or had become the servant of the one woman that could tame him, and Laxus by simply being herself. The thought was disturbing for Loke to entertain. He was a lion, and he needed a harem to feel secure, yet Lucy was a one on one kind of girl.

The sound of leaves and twigs crackling under fast moving feet reached Loke's sensitive ears. Realizing how little reserves he had left to resume running, Loke closed his eyes, searching ever deeper in hopes of being able to stay with Lucy. Trembling harder than ever, Loke knew he was going to drop his mistress if he took another step. Despair growing, Loke laid Lucy on the grass so she would not be hurt when he was sucked back through his gate.

"Someone's . . . coming, . . . Little one. Sorry that . . . I can't . . . stay any longer." Loke managed to gasp out as he felt himself fading back into his own world.

Virgo and Aquarius were both present as Loke materialized on his hands and knees in their own realm. Hearing Aquarius bitter toned complaints about getting torn open by their adversaries was unpleasant, yet not unexpected. Both were badly injured and receiving care from other spirits. As Loke slumped even further onto the tiled floor of the gateway path, the Spirit King's presence made him feel as if he had already failed.

"Couldn't keep going, Majesty. I'm still too weak to protect Lucy very well. There's a little girl named Wendy and a flying cat who aren't going to be able to stop the enemy, or protect Lucy either."

A sorrowful sigh escaped their King's lips. "I am aware, old Friend. I've instructed Curmudgeon to investigate this group. Gemini and Scorpio have contracts with the other Celestial Mage. She forced Scorpio to fight Aquarius so that another of their comrades could do the damage you see before you. Seems he is some kind of Dragon Slayer based upon what I saw in the disk of realms."

"What happened to Laxus? How could he fail to protect Lucy as I thought he would?" Loke lifted his head to look up at his King.

"When I returned here and you followed, I saw a large man with pale hair try to protect your new Master. He was overwhelmed by several very powerful mages working together. While he was fighting, one of them stole my old friend away and fled. I monitored your master, so I do not know what happened to the man who tried to protect her. The last I saw, he was fighting an admirable battle. He has extraordinary power, but also suffers from a deeply wounded heart." The Spirit King admitted as he stroked his mustache.

Feeling both relief and irritation over the news, Loke shook his head to free it of his morose thoughts. "If that's the case, then Laxus must have been defeated. It's the only explanation of why he isn't actively looking for Lucy Sama. Much as I hate to admit it, Laxus Dreyer was Lucy Sama's best hope. If he's badly injured or dead, I don't think we'll be able to save her."

"Old Friend, why do you have her Celestial keys? She cannot call for help without them." The Spirit King demanded as he stared down upon Loke.

Looking down at the key ring in his hand, Loke answered. "It was the only way to protect our Mistress, Majesty. The other Celestial Mage would try to force us to contract with her, and I wanted to make sure that there is one less reason to harm Lucy. The thought of that vile woman getting her hands on our keys, possibly even killing Lucy Sama is why I took our keys. Soon as I've recovered enough, I'll return and save our Master."

"I see your key is missing from the ring. You left it with her I presume, Leo?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. Even if that wretched woman does try to summon me, I'll refuse to make a contract. I have a life debt to repay. On those grounds, I can refuse, and also fight back to protect Lucy Sama."

"You speak truly, Leo. I shall overlook this unusual behavior for now. I must speak with Curmudgeon about his findings. Rest until you are summoned, Leo."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I won't fail to get Lucy Sama out of their clutches once I recover my strength. I will protect her with everything I am just as soon as I can get my gate open." Loke vowed as he watched his King nod with a pleased expression.

"See to it that you do, Leo. Few Celestial Mages have ever held such power as to force me to descend through a sealed gate to confront them. It has been many centuries since I've felt such pure heart contained within Celestial magic. My friend is deserving of all the help we can give her during the years to come." Spirit King responded as he turned to leave.

Still on his hands and knees, Loke looked down at the keys he had not realized he had grabbed from Lucy's grasp. Tears blurred his vision as Loke fought to control his see-sawing emotions. One wrong move had Loke on the edge of losing far more than he had gained in being returned to the Spirit World. He would lose a rare and wonderful Master, as well as possibly already having lost one of the very few humans Loke considered a viable, friendly rival. All because of Lucy Heartfilia's generous heart, she was probably being captured again even as he sat in the gateway paths of his own world. Furious tears blinding him, Loke slammed his fist into the cobblestone walkway time and again, barely registering the physical pain.

~~oo0oo~~


	21. Chapter 20

A/N: Don't own Fairy Tail characters or make money from this story. Thanks for everyone's patience, reviews, newest faves, and follows for both of my ongoing stories, despite my chaotic posting schedule. Got shocking news that I'm becoming a grandmother. So not ready to admit my younger son's an adult, much less accept that I'm no spring chicken. Kid brother is finally recovering at home after being in ICU and regular hospital bed for a while. To celebrate, he's a new raw draft chapter for everyone to read. I'll replace it with a revised version as soon as I can.

CHAPTER 20

The hour was early as a fast moving carriage trundled to a stop in front of a three story brick and stone building. Jude Heartfilia double checked to insure his clothing remained pristine before alighting to the pavement. The carrot topped man glared at the poor imitation of a castle he was about to enter. Anger over his daughter believing she had to endure savage treatment to gain his approval of her magic made Jude's mustache quiver. Of all the places his daughter could choose to be rebellious . . .

Tucked securely beneath his arm was the special edition of 'Sorcerer's Weekly' which Jude commandeered from his elderly librarian, Ribbon. Having read the contents; an exclusive look at the history of said three story building, and the wild hellion guild members it contained, Jude knew he had to intervene for Lucy's safety.

When Jude read the romantic speculations of the reporter who described the new guild master threatening to spank his grown daughter, Jude became livid. Such humiliating treatment of his little girl was more than Jude Heartfilia could overlook if he desired to save face in the business world. The tone of several articles, featuring guild member, and Magic Council commentaries gave Jude the distinct impression that his daughter was under the command of an unacceptably violent man. It did not help that all of the guild members sounded equally destructive as Jude read about the guild wide brawl said reporter witnessed during his day of interviewing everyone.

"Heartfilia Sama, do you wish for me to wait for you, or return for you at a set time?" The hack's owner asked in a servile tone.

Handing the man his fee, Jude responded, "Please return within an hour to pick me up. That is all."

"Very good, Sir." The man answered before clicking his tongue and giving the reins a light flick to set the team of horses into motion.

Making minuscule final adjustments to his business suit, Jude retrieved the magazine from beneath his elbow. The headline _'Meet Fairy Tail's New Master: Laxus Dreyer to Reform Fiore's Most Notorious Guild' _was coupled with a smug looking man's face. Jude's fingers tightened around the glossy magazine's spine, crinkling the cover as he glared at the smirking image. Lucy was not going to be put through such treatment any longer. Jude had every right to interfere when his daughter's reputation was getting besmirched by such an uncouth fool. Anyone who walked among the elites of Fiore recognized the womanizer Laxus Dreyer. The man's reputation for ruining young women was a source of constant concern throughout the debutante circuit. Mind settled on his course of action, Jude tucked the magazine back beneath his elbow.

"Time to explain to this oaf that my daughter is not chattel to threaten in public. Perhaps Lucy now understands that she belongs among civilized people. She's certain to come home after having suffered public humiliation at the hands of such a course boor. I'm sure she's ready to settle with a good man capable of taking care of her every need after suffering such humiliation." Jude muttered, back straightening into a commanding posture, and marching the last few feet to the double doors.

Grabbing the door handle, Jude was startled by strange letters appearing before his eyes. Although he was no expert when it came to magic, Jude understood that some kind of spell was activating. Stepping back, brows furrowing, Jude Heartfilia rubbed his chin. Staring at what Jude suspected was a protection barrier, the man wondered how he was going to get inside. He was adamant to speak to Lucy's overbearing Guild Master, yet if he could not enter the building without meeting whatever criteria was required, his trip was a waste of time and money.

As Jude pondered his options, strange looking miniature barrels floated into sight as if escourting different mages. Three of the mages Jude recognized from the magazine tucked beneath his arm. The anger on their faces made Jude nervous as they closed on his position. A red haired woman in armor was the first to stomp up to the doorway, glaring at the writing that scrolled across the building.

"Natsu, Gray, do not enter the building until I know what this barrier is supposed to do." The woman barked at the two males who were following a blue haired woman and a flying cat.

"But Luce . . ." a pink haired youth breathing literal fire began.

The angry woman cut the man off. "Not another word, Natsu! Bickslow would not send his totems with messages for each of us if this barrier was not locking them inside. We must handle this situation with delicacy, or risk getting trapped inside with them. We may need Levy to counter this barrier before we enter. Happy, please go to Fairy Hills and get Levy for me."

"Me and Flame Brain can probably shatter this barrier if we time our attacks right. It isn't like this rune barrier was created by Freed." The half naked, dark haired male in the group offered.

"The note Juvia received said that Lahar Sama put this barrier in place. Anyone who tampers with it insures that Fairy Tail will be disbanded. Otherwise, Freed San would have removed it since this barrier uses the same magic as Freed San. Juvia knows this barrier is not half as strong as the barriers Freed San created a few weeks ago when Laxus Sama tested us all." The blue haired woman argued.

Jude watched as the miniate barrels shot through the glowing barrier without trouble. It appeared that the barrier was not meant to keep them out of the guild. However, it was the information that made clear that people were trapped within the guild that gave Jude pause. He could not afford to be detained by some magical prison once he confronted Fairy Tail's Guild Master and retrieved his daughter.

Someone clearing their throat gained the group's attention. Swivelling on his heels, Jude inspected the dark haired man wearing glasses, and the uniform of a Rune Knight. "You would be correct, Lockser San. I required time to speak to the Magic Council and make arrangements to insure we shut down this crisis before the citizens of Fiore get injured. The Magic Council has the most information on the nature of this crisis, and that is all the grounds I require to maintain control of this operation."

"Would someone please remove this barrier? I have important business with the Guild Master, and it cannot wait." Jude spoke with all the authority he could muster. He stared down his nose in hopes of intimidating the Knight so he could extract Lucy faster.

"The magic is Jutsu Shiki, and I placed this barrier to contain Fairy Tail's enraged Guild Master. As you are not said Guild Master, you can come and go as you please, Heartfilia Sama, although your timing to visit is most unfortunate." Facing the red haired woman, the dark haired man continued, "The Council is already moving to insure this crisis gets resolved efficiently, Titania. We are going to do all we can to insure Fairy Tail has everything it needs to succeed, including the best possible allies to move swiftly."

"Understood, Lahar San. Your thoughtfulness is much appreciated. However, might I suggest that you not keep Master Laxus locked down for long? Your well intentioned actions are endangering one of our nakama. Fairy Tail does not tolerate one of our own being abducted without immediate retaliation. We must act swiftly since this attack was launched by a member guild of the Balam Alliance according to Master Laxus summons." The red headed woman waved a piece of paper to punctuate her point.

"The Magic Council believes this counter attack will require more than Fairy Tail's righteous anger to stop the plans of the strongest dark guild alliance, Titania. I have no intention of creating a rift between the Magic Council and Fairy Tail. Yet someone must remain logical and insure the Light Guilds unite to overcome this crisis before irreparable damage can be dealt by Balam." Lahar answered in a modulated voice, hand coming to rest upon Jude's shoulder. "Heartfilia Sama, I would advise returning to meet with Laxus Sama after we've dealt with the crisis that has rightfully infuriated him."

The half naked teen's head whipped around to stare at Jude. "Wait a second! Are you Lucy's dad?"

"I am. As it appears there is a dangerous situation, I will retrieve my daughter until this crisis is resolved. Lucy is not a mage who should be engaged in combat." Jude replied as he turned to head for Lucy's apartment.

Having the pink haired, fire spewing mage step in his way, Jude eyed the youth. "You don't know?"

"Know what?" Jude demanded, voice cracking to reveal his unease.

Lahar spoke in a harsh tone. "Dragneel san, you do not have permission to speak about anything involving the crisis. And Heartfilia Sama, you will not interfere with our operations, nor try to extract your daughter from any role she has in this situation. Your daughter is part of a legal guild. Need I remind you of the last time the Magic Council contacted you regarding interference with Magic Council operations?"

Lahar's piercing gaze did not waver as he leveled the threat in a calm tone. Having been forced to sell two businesses to satisfy the fines that the Magic Council succeeded in levying against him in the past, Jude knew the man would cause additional damage to the Konzern if Jude made the wrong move. Having gotten the crown involved with making the fines stick once was enough for Jude to realize he could be treading on very shaking ground if he miss spoke. Without him at the helm, the Konzern railways and the rest would quickly fall into ruin, and that was the one thing the Crown could not allow to happen.

"Yes, I did hire Phantom Lord to retrieve my daughter from this . . . questionable entity. Legally, . . . I might add. I still retain the stamped and approved copy of the original filed request which was approved by the Magic Council. The contract that Phantom Lord accepted only specified the recovery and escort home of my daughter. My lawyers demonstrated that all other misfortunes which occurred were the sole responsibility of Phantom Lord's Master, and his lackeys. I must confess to being puzzled over your hostility toward myself, especially in light of how I paid to repair Magnolia proper despite having no real legal obligation to do so. The Magic Council did validate my mission without qualms which included the information of where my daughter was located. Damages incurred by Phantom Lord were not my legal obligation. I could have fought and won my case with ease, but I chose to be magnanimous. Phantom Lord stepped far beyond the legal criteria of my specified retrieval and escort request, and we both know it, Captain." Jude's voice remained calm despite his razor edged glare.

"Either way, you were fined for inciting a guild war with your request, Heartfilia Sama. You knew your daughter was a member of a legal guild, and yet you insisted upon sending in a request to have your daughter removed from Fairy Tail by force if necessary." Lahar snapped back.

"Only because the last guild master refused to meet with me to discuss returning my daughter. Master Makarov's refusal to meet with me constituted the possibility of Lucy being held against her will as leverage against the Heartfilia Konzern. You think every wall in this nation lacks ears and eyes ready to put information up for sale? If you believe such then you're a fool. If you think the Fifty Families have failed to keep meticulous records on everything that wizards do, say, plot, and destroy? Then you prove yourselves to be even more incompetent, deluded peacocks than I already believe your Magic Council to be, Captain Lahar."

"Do not insult the Magic Council, Heartfilia Sama. We insure the peace and policing agencies that citizens such as yourself rely upon for your safety every single day." Lahar snapped.

"Is that so? When I think of all the property destruction caused by legal guilds who do the Council's dirty work I think I've grounds to differ with your opinion. Do you believe I haven't kept informed about this place where my daughter ran to as a show of youthful foolishness and rebellion? If so, then you and your Magic Council are thrice the simpletons, Captain Lahar. Every member of the elite families who keep this nation prosperous know who Laxus Dreyer is, and how many young women he has compromised over five years time. I will not tolerate my innocent daughter being targeted, and ruined by the fiend! I have every right to be concerned that my Lucy is in the company of such a despicable man. It is my opinion that the Magic Council is making a grave mistake in elevating Laxus Dreyer to such a position as Guild Master. Dreyer's team may be the best in the business for security details, but engaging their services comes with an equally vile potential for scandal once they are hired. What decent father will ignore his duty to protect his daughter's reputation, or fails to question his appointment to such a powerful position?"

"The fact still remains that Lucy Heartfilia is a member of Fairy Tail. She has every right to remain a member of Fairy Tail guild, or join any other legal guild she desires. She made clear that she has abdicated her position as the sole Heiress of the Heartfilia Konzern, and she did file the prerequisite paperwork required to make that legally binding, Heartfilia Sama. Miss Lucy is of legal age to do as she pleases. Miss Heartfilia has also made clear that she believes her loyalty belongs with the Magic Council and her guild. Furthermore, the Magic Council is aware of the scandals you're mentioning, and all such ongoing scandals you refer to were investigated. The evidence shows all such scandals are the sole responsibility of the women in question. Any and all affairs were instigated by said women. All of those women were of legal age to consent to their clandestine affairs. The only thing Laxus Dreyer and his Thunder Tribe can be accused of, is a lack of restraint when being propositioned to partake in said affairs. Therefore, you are out of line, and have no legal business with Miss Heartfilia or Fairy Tail's new Master." Lahar responded as he pushed his glasses back up his nose.

"I am still Lucy's father, and I have every right to see her and insure that she is safe and remains happy, Captain. Considering the things reported by Sorcerer's Weekly, and the threats that were made against Lucy as reported in print, I will personally speak to Master Dreyer and insure he knows harming my daughter will not be tolerated. If the Magic Council is allowing mages to be abused, then something is wrong with their system!" Jude spat as fury got the better of him.

The Guild wizards glared at the Rune Knight as Titania spoke. "Excuse me for feeling I must disagree with you to a point, Lahar San. Despite past problems, Heartfilia San does have a right to see Lucy. It is natural for a father to show concern for their children if they believe their children are threatened. It seems to me that he must care about Lucy despite not being very good at showing her his affection. Perhaps Heartfilia San can remain here at Fairy Tail until this crisis is resolved as an added security measure. Such a measure will insure he will not interfere once he is aware of what is at stake if that will satisfy the strict Security Measures in place due to the nature of this crisis."

Jude's eyes narrowed as the five mages had a silent stare off, four allied against one. An eerie, hackle raising pressure swirled between the mages. The brutal pressure did not ease Jude's mind over getting caught squarely in the center of the opposing powers. Yet, as far as Jude was concerned, nobody was going to lock him, or Lucy down. For the moment, Jude remained one of the most powerful men in Fiore with a massive railway system to run among his many business holdings.

Determined to seize control of the situation, Jude spoke. "The very railway system that the Magic Council and all legal guilds depend upon to do business is my crowning achievement. You will not interfere with my business by holding me hostage because it will damage Fiore's transportation system. My railway is the backbone of Fiore's commerce so I do have the Crown's ear when needed. My time is far more valuable than any of you grasp. My efforts make life convenient for all mages working for the Magic Council. If pushed, I will lodge a legal complaint with the Crown against the Magic Council because of getting threatened by a Rune Knight without cause. It is also within my power to make life easier for the Magic Council and all legal guild mages, . . . if given assurances of my family's safety. I do have considerable resources, which makes your threat look as if the Magic Council is interested in controlling me through questionable legal means, Captain."

After several tense moments, the Rune Knight heaved a sigh. "If you seek to cause problems with this operation, I will ensure that you spend time in a cell, Heartfilia Sama. Compromising this mission will not be tolerated because it is a genuine matter of national security."

"I am willing to help the Magic Council in any way plausible to protect Fiore's welfare, Captain. My only concern is that my daughter not be placed in harm's way if at all possible." Jude answered as he stared down his nose at the Rune Knight.

Titania intervened in a stiff voice. "Now that we have come to an understanding, Lahar San, shall we go inside to discuss strategies? We do not have time to waste if Natsu is to track the dark guild before their scent trail vanishes."

The woman grabbed Jude's arm in a vicelike hold and hauled him inside the guild hall before he thought of a proper protest. Once through the doors, Jude discovered that his voice had evaporated. A large wooden trestle table groaned under the weight of very old books. Several mages were sitting around various tables, all reading books. As Jude watched, a beautiful, silvery haired woman raced around, setting down meals and steaming mugs beside each of the readers.

"I think I found what we need to understand why Oracion Seis wants Lucy San's magic, Laxus Sama!" A green haired man leapt from the table closest to the book pile, magic glasses askew on his nose.

A tiny old man, and a huge, muscle bound hulk dropped the old tomes in their hands. Both were quick to crowd around the green haired man. Seeing the immense sized man who controlled Fairy Tail shocked Jude. He was considered taller than average, and yet Laxus Dreyer's towering height and shoulder breadth left Jude dumbfounded. The blond haired man was almost a full head taller, and radiated a raw power that left Jude feeling insignificant. The stern expression, and blatant scar over one eye gave Fairy Tail's guild master a rakish air. The commanding presence of the man jarred Jude's own confidence. To say that Laxus Dreyer was a formidable man that drew the attention of elite reason for good reason was becoming very clear to Jude. The laws he intended to lay down for the womanizer had seemed straight forward before Jude's arrival. Yet seeing the flesh and blood man who had compromised so many noble women left Jude feeling that his plan was anything but easy to implement.

"What's going on with Luce, Laxus?" The pink haired man charged up to the group as if they were the only people in the world.

"Shut it, Flame Brain. We've been researching Celestial Magic all night and the last thing I want to hear is your big mouth right now!" Master Laxus snapped with an arm movement that was too fast for Jude's eyes to follow.

Shock turned to genuine fear as the frightful, pink haired mage flew into the brick wall less than a foot from Jude's position. Turning his head, Jude watched as the pink haired terror slid to the floor, out cold.

"What are you talking about? My daughter uses Celestial Magic." Jude demanded, striding closer as it registered that everyone was discussing his daughter.

Lahar grabbed his arm before Jude could close on the cluster of mages. "Oracion Seis has abducted your daughter, Heartfilia Sama. The security crisis created by Miss Lucy's abduction is precisely why I locked these mages inside the Guild last night. Oracion Seis sent several S class mages to separate Master Laxus from Lucy san yesterday. A reliable informant has brought information about the reasons for her abduction to our attention. We are trying to determine why they believe Lucy san is instrumental to their very dangerous plans."

"What?" Jude felt his world tilting on it's axis as shock overwhelmed him.

With Lucy missing, all his plans for restructuring his least profitable businesses were in jeopardy. A twisting of his innards had Jude grabbing a table edge to remain on his feet. Difficult as it was to face Lucy, Jude had been certain that the contents of the magazine that flopped onto the floor held the key to regaining his daughter's compliance, in order to escape physical harm. Yet all of Jude's planning was for nothing if Lucy proved irretrievable.

"Blondie wouldn't have gotten kidnaped if she'd obey the rules I put in place for her safety!" A gravely snarl made Jude look closer at Laxus Dreyer.

Staring at the barrel chested man who strode up to Captain Lahar, Jude felt as if he was being driven to his knees by an unseen force. Narrowed eyes were snapping with scarce controlled rage. Blue warred with hints of orange as Fairy Tail's Master leveled a glare upon the Rune Knight. Jaw muscles clenching and releasing gave testament to how furious Laxus Dreyer was as Jude contemplated the younger man.

Palpable waves of anger rolling off the man gave Jude yet another reason to second guess his original plan of action. Spetto's gleeful, romanticized notion of Lucy having a suitor rose to the surface of Jude's thoughts. Considering the number of scandals Laxus Dreyer was linked to within elite circles, Jude knew it was foolish to presume that Lucy remained unsullied by the cad. Judging by the man's demeanor, Jude was beginning to think that Lucy was in fact being pursued by the man towering over himself and Captain Lahar. The idea of Lucy being compromised, and left without a backward glance made Jude's irritation flare to life. As his anger grew, Jude regained his equilibrium.

"Did you know that Celestial Spirit Mages have the ability to create bridges between magical items, thereby fusing their physical properties by embedding gates in whichever object is larger to make far more powerful items, Lahar?"

Jude felt his jaw loosen as Laxus Dreyer openly challenged Captain Lahar. The words that were pouring from the livid man's mouth riveted Jude's attention as nothing else could when he saw Master Dreyer shove the book he had taken from his subordinate into Lahar's chest.

"Did the Council think nobody would realize Celestial Spirit Mages have a secondary ability at their disposal? This book even mentions the kinds of spells, and all the requirements to fuse multiple Celestial Mages as an elaborate binding seal for dangerous magical items. If people like Lucy can be used to permanently feed impregnable seals placed on the most dangerous items, their magic can also be used to revoke such elaborate seals. So my question is, how many Celestial Spirit Mages are missing, Lahar? How long has the Magic Council ignored disappearances that should have been handled long before my second in charge was abducted? Did the Council think it could ignore this problem forever? Looks like it's up to Fairy Tail to set things straight yet again since the Council sits on their asses and does nothing outside of bilking honest guilds for every jewel they can to me!" Laxus' voice swelled until he was roaring at the Rune Knight.

Stunned over the revelation that Lucy was Master Dreyer's second in command, Jude found himself watching the confrontation with greater interest. With his daughter having been elevated to such an important position, Jude could not help but consider the ramifications, and potential perks of her new position and how best to exploit the possibilies.

Lahar pushed his glasses up his nose after stumbling into a trestle table bench. "Let me assure you that it's very rare for Celestial Spirit Mages to powerful enough to be utilized that way. The probability of Lucy Heartfilia getting used in such a fashion remains low, Master Laxus. To the best of my knowledge there are no other missing Celestial Mages. Oracion Seis will not be able to fuse Miss Heartfilia's magic with anything as powerful as the sealed Nirvana, or the remnants of the R system as has been postulated by the informant that came forward. Speaking of which, I don't see the child anywhere. She is still on the grounds I assume?"

Energy shimmered and cracked around Laxus Dreyer as an inhuman growl erupted from his throat while glaring at Lahar. Static electricity writhing over the man's massive shoulders began flowing down heavily muscled arms. Jude felt his hair lifting on static waves as the pressure of the Guild Master's magic made it impossible to breathe. Titania suddenly stood between Jude and the arguing mages which helped Jude gasp for much needed air.

"We all know Bunny Girl's powerful enough to be turned into the link without needing back up, Master Laxus. Even if the Magic Council lackey's too arrogant to accept it, we all know she's an unbreakable force to reckon with when she puts her mind to a project. Question is; when do we leave to stomp Oracion Seis into the ground? Who gives a shit whether or not the Council believes in Bunny's magic?" Jude turned his head to look at another very muscular, dark haired man who was speaking.

The amount of metal embedded within the man's face was disturbing Jude almost as much as Laxus Dreyer's seeming attachment to his daughter Lucy. Coupled with the raw power and obvious muscles this new mage sported, Jude began to wonder how such powerful men had lost his daughter to anyone in a face to face confrontation. Even the pink haired mage who was shaking off the effects of a single punch delivered with a speed Jude could not fathom was abnormally powerful compared to the many mages Jude had employed over the years.

In the back of Jude's mind, the suspicion that Lucy wanted to leave Fairy Tail because of the new Guild Master's vile threats still lingered. Yet alongside the lingering suspicion was the fast rising realization that if a brutal power such as Laxus Dreyer was unable to protect his daughter, Jude had no way of protecting her from whomever had kidnaped her. Even Lord Junelle would be hard pressed to keep enough Mages employed to protect Lucy long term if Dark guilds were targeting Lucy because of her magic.

Even if Jude did convince Lucy to leave the guild and marry Lord Junelle, there was little chance of anyone in the elite echelon successfully protecting his daughter for long if such powerful mages had been incapable of the task. The realization that Dark Guilds were interested in Lucy for her mother's magical gift made his daughter an unacceptable liability and security risk to members of the fifty elite families. The thought was depressing. With difficulty Jude drew his thoughts back from his own woes to listen to what Rune Knight Lahar was saying.

"Nirvana's resting place is somewhere within North Woodsea, so there is no need to waste your time tracking them down, Master Laxus. They have no choice but keep Miss Heartfilia with them if they believe she is the key to unsealing that dangerous ancient device."

Straightening with a harsh rasping cough, Jude managed to right himself. "If my daughter is in danger, then I'll provide your mages with an express train for your exclusive use, Master Dreyer. All I ask in return is that you save my daughter from whomever has taken her. It's the least I can do to try and protect my little girl. For all she thinks I don't care about her, Lucy is my beloved daughter, and I will do anything I deem necessary to protect her."

Dreyer's eyes settled on Jude, oddly shifting orange hues and slow elongating pupils making Jude uncomfortable as he met the vicious stare. "Oh? Is your offer sincerely for Blondie's protection, or is it for your future gains, Heartfilia? Coming from the man who's proven to be determined to sell Blondie to the highest bidder for his own ends, I'm not convinced that you actually give a damn about Blondie outside of her ability to produce profitable heirs. You're a typical business tycoon, so the only thing you give a damn about in the end is using Lucy as an asset and pawn."

"You dare speak to me about bad intentions or seeking ill gotten gains after all the women you've ruined for your own amusement? I'll have you know that I'm as far above you in this world as the sky is far above the sea bottom, you ill mannered Cur! Lucy deserves the best of everything in life, and yet she has chosen to slum with violent wretches like you. Worst of all, you allowed my daughter to come to harm!" Jude accused as he pushed past Titania.

"Wrong answer, Heartfilia! Blondie's value has nothing to do with who she marries in my eyes! She's a smart woman capable of harnessing one of the trickiest magics this world has to offer with the right training! Blondie's no possession for you to barter away as breeding stock!"

"Ah Fuck! We gotta keep Laxus from killing the idiot, Salamander!" Jude heard snapped from the side as the long haired metal faced freak lunged between himself and Dreyer.

The pink haired fire mage shoved Jude to the side as he grabbed Dreyer's other arm and the pair began to wrestle with the far larger man. The triad of magics began to spiral and expand in the room as Fairy Tail's dangerous Master sought to get free, eyes fully shifting to a brilliant orange, reptilian looking form unlike anything Jude had ever seen before.

"Calm down, Master Laxus! We'll get Bunny Girl back faster if you can calm your dragon magic!" The black haired mage yelled at the snarling beast Laxus Dreyer was turning into before Jude's eyes.

Lahar was beside Jude a moment later, encasing him in some kind of magical barrier as he spoke in a soft, menacing tone. "You had to make things far worse, didn't you, Heartfilia Sama?"

"Release me this instant, Captain!"

Lahar hissed in a soft, furious tone, "If I release this barrier you're dead. I've got a piece of very good advice to share with you, Heartfilia Sama. Never, ever push a Dragon Lacrima infused Slayer as powerful as Laxus Dreyer into blind anger. For all his flaws, Laxus Dreyer seems to be a bit attached to your daughter for some unfathomable reason. Whenever a Dragon Slayer becomes attached to anyone, they develop protective instincts toward those individuals. Oracion Seis has already set their own suicides in motion by abducting your daughter. Miss Lucy has three dragon slayers who are all determined to get her back safely."

The green haired man Jude had noticed earlier stopped beside the barrier Lahar had erected. "Lahar San is correct. The Fire Dragon Slayer, Natsu Dragneel, is Lucy San's best friend and full time teammate. Gajeel Redfox, the Iron Dragon Slayer respects Lucy San more than anyone outside of Makarov Sama because she has earned his respect in full measure. Lucy san earned his respect by standing up to him during the Phantom Lord war without flinching despite the beating she endured at Gajeel's hands. Master Laxus is the most powerful of the three, and holds the title of Thunder God for a reason. He is the Lightning Dragon Slayer. He admires Lucy san's intelligence and industriousness enough to entrust her with the most delicate matters involved with running this Guild's business side. Due to Lucy san's exceptional magical capacity, Master Laxus has every intention of bringing out Lucy san's full potential as a Mage also. Nothing will prevent Fairy Tail from retrieving Lucy san the moment Lahar san removes the barrier confining the strongest mages of this guild within these walls, Heartfilia san. We will destroy the Balam Alliance for daring attack one of our own, and that is a fact you would do well to accept before you make Master Laxus any angrier."

"Get the fuck off me you two idiots!" Laxus voice was infused and amplified by his power as it drowned all attempts at conversation.

Lahar and the green haired man scarce got behind the barrier the pair erected moments before the guild shuddered. Vast electrical pulses, fire, and metal ripped through the guild hall as the trio of Slayers wrestled with each other. Blinding light and explosions of magic rent the air as Jude found himself cowering on the ground.

"How the hell can my daughter tolerate being around these terrifying conditions?" Jude bellowed at the two men who were pushed up against the barrier that trapped him.

The green haired man responded by yelling over the din as wood and stone began to fall like hail against the shield erected around their position. "Lucy San loves this guild as she would any true family. She is called the 'Light of Fairy Tail' by most members of this guild. Even Laxus Sama's rage over her being taken is quite understandable when you know how we view Lucy San. She's an important part of our family, no matter how incomprehensible it may sound to you."

As hard and fast as the waves of destruction rolled through the building, it stopped. As the debris settled, Jude could see three panting men, power spiraling around their forms as they braced each other. "He's still Luce's dad! Even if he's pissing us off, and is trying to be a threat, you can't hurt him, Laxus! Luce won't leave us because we're her real family!"

"Salamander's right, Master Laxus. Bunny needs us to rescue her. Her old man's got nothing to do with her getting stolen out from under your nose! We gotta get her back so we all need you to calm the fuck down for her sake!"

The shockwaves of electricity reversed direction, getting sucked back into Dreyer's body as the other guild members picked themselves out of the rubble, dusting off with smirks on their faces. The other two Slayers likewise extinguished their terrifying power.

Jude watched as the metal faced man sauntered over and drop onto his haunches in front of the rune barrier. "Don't piss Sparky off anymore, Heartfilia. He won't tolerate anyone coming between him and Bunny Girl, not even her father. Once a Slayer starts testing a potential mate, only the suicidal ever attempt to come between said Slayer and his possible mate."

"Damn, you make it sound like Boss's got it real bad for Cosplayer. Then again, . . . I've never seen him lose it like this." A visor wearing man with a familiar looking line of wooden barrels floating before him grumbled as he shoved the remnants of a shattered table off his legs and stomach near the door.

The green haired man answered on a soft chuckle. "Lucy san seems to be a good match for Laxus Sama, Bickslow. She does have the brilliance to match Laxus Sama's leadership skills. Between them, Fairy Tail will be reborn as the greatest guild in all Fiore. As things stand, I would not be adverse to the idea if Laxus Sama chooses Lucy san as his wife."

The concealed mage sputtered. "Ppffhhhttt. Provided our Boss doesn't destroy the guild hall before we get Cosplayer back. Damn, that fucking blast hurt! Leave it to Gajeel and Flametard to push our boss into exploding every chance they get."

"Shove it, Barrel Boy. Bunny's old man kept pushing until Laxus' magic was getting out of control. His eyes went draconic so we had to step in before Laxus killed someone. You don't push a Dragon Slayer into transforming if you want to survive."

Looking around the destroyed room, Jude found himself taking the black haired man's words to heart. Laxus Dreyer was going to require finesse to remove from Lucy's life Jude decided as he leaned his back against the barrier wall.

~~oo0oo~~


	22. Chapter 21

A/N: Don't own Fairy Tail cannon elements. I own the original lunatics and twisted plots getting unveiled with each random upload I've managed to get to you. Thanks for everyone's patience, reviews, faves, and follows, despite my abysmal real life battling the Hydra as Oldtime Scribe refers to my recent spate of hard core crisis level troubles. Thanks so very much to everyone who sent pms and wrote reviews offering condolences and support when I posted the A/N about the death in the family. My family appreciates your generous well wishes more than I can hope to express.

CHAPTER 21

Gajeel watched Laxus pacing like a half starved, prey deprived predator as they waited for the Express train that Captain Lahar and Heartfilia decided to make them take. It was close to two hours since Laxus fought with himself and Natsu, destroying a section of the Guild's ground floor furniture as close as Gajeel could tell. In fact, Gajeel was still feeling sore after stopping Laxus' attempt to beat Bunny's father to death for showing up at the guild. Tired as Gajeel was at that point, he wanted to go to sleep but that was not an option when Laxus was bristling with out of control emotions and ready to explode.

Keeping a wary eye on Laxus' pacing, Gajeel realized that Jude Heartfilia's plan to get an express train in service was increasing Laxus very sour mood. If not for the politics involved, thanks to Lahar, they could have already caught a train out of town close to twenty minutes earlier. Unfortunately, Lahar was adamant that the crisis involving Bunny Girl required utmost secrecy, so everyone was forced to waste more time in waiting for the special train to get prepped.

Even Natsu seemed to understand that Laxus was being driven into a mental corner by waiting any longer, as he also agreed with Laxus about how little time Bunny Girl had before she was used by the Dark Guild, and possibly destroyed for no reason other than to merge magical items, or break the magical seal on the Nirvana relic for some kind of personal gain.

As if the time it took to convince Lahar to allow Laxus out of the guild was not bad enough, more time got wasted before Lahar removed the barrier runes that kept everyone trapped inside the building because of Jude Heartfilia being desperate to reclaim his daughter for his own uses. Sharp ears heard the man's unspoken agendas loud and clear, and Laxus obviously chafed to rescue the woman he was fixated upon from her own father as much as from the Dark Guild who abducted her. Because Lucy Heartfilia had qualities that Laxus did not seem to understand he was deeply drawn toward when it came to settling down, Jude's unvoiced, yet obvious plans for his daughter acted like sandpaper scrubbed across an infected wound to break the tender scabs.

More to the point, Laxus had no idea his instincts were starting to entertain the notion of settling down at all, and that was where Gajeel and Natsu were finding themselves most amused by their fellow quasi slayer's denial and ongoing temperamental tantrums. It was obvious to Gajeel that Laxus did not understand how the dragon lacrima affected his personality beyond the power increase and magical storage aspect of having said lacrima implant. Ignorance was not blissful for long when it came to how overwhelmed Laxus would get before he finally caved to the understanding that he was being driven insane by his own altered magic.

Dragon magic was based on an inhuman, purest elemental framework that created a very deep instinctual drive that got fueled by the stored magic. The first and second generation Slayers were all instinct driven in ways that Laxus did not yet appreciate. Yet it was still obvious that Laxus was being controlled by his instincts instead of his mind, no matter how much the blond haired behemoth of a mage denied said problem.

Unlike a first generation Slayer, who was taught to expect such impulses, second generation Slayers were not aware of how their magic, altered by dragon stones, also altered their psyches. A first generation Slayer gained their unique power through association with the beasts, unlike their artificial brothers. First generation Slayers witnessed how inhuman dragons were during their training, s recognized when such behaviors surfaced in their own lives. Because the second generation was not a true Slayer, rather the victim of a dragon lacrima, second gen mages got tormented by a similar strengthening of their instincts, without the understanding to be aware of the onset of insanity that the magic was prone to cause on occasions of deep stress.

In Laxus case, the strongest instincts the dragon magic tampered with increased alpha type behaviors, including leadership struggles and all interconnected forms of pack hierarchy. The need to lead and be obeyed was at the heart of Laxus taking over the guild through violence. The Lightning Mage was acting on instincts that were fed into by the lacrima he tapped for increased power and stamina. Each new instinct surge was increasing the volatile nature of the man without Laxus recognizing that it was happening. Far as Gajeel could tell, as he kept an eye on Laxus, their new Guild Master was degenerating into a ticking time bomb.

After being forced to endure a night in the guild, because of the obnoxious Rune Knight's barrier, and ongoing threats, Laxus had every right to be sick of being made to sit around in Gajeel's opinion. The very instincts Laxus was not aware of were demanding that he should be rescuing the woman he was crushing on, despite being in hard denial of Bunny's potential as an alpha in her own right. To say that Laxus was at war with himself would be putting things mildly to Gajeel's way of seeing things, as he studied his new Guild Master's ongoing rampage across the platform.

Unlike Laxus, Gajeel freely admitted that Lucy Heartfilia had plenty of spunk, and inner strength coupled with brains needed to be genuine Alpha material. However, Bunny Girl was far more flexible in personality than Laxus understood. She would easily take on any number of pack oriented roles as she proved time and again through her handling of Team Natsu members. Unlike Laxus or Natsu, Gajeel had studied the blond haired woman's behaviors, and knew how diverse her character was, having seen the depths during his short time as a fellow guild member. It bothered Gajeel that Laxus was trying to convince himself that Bunny was simply a delightful body that he wanted to hump and dump in typical playboy fashion.

Considering the woman in question, even Gajeel felt attracted to Lucy Heartfilia, and it went far beyond her physical assets, the longer he knew her. Being attracted to the woman's personality was saying something. Considering Gajeel knew he hated being in a position to answer to anyone for any reason, but knew if it was Lucy doing the asking, he caved fast was still an uncomfortable reality for him. During his final days in Phantom Lord, Gajeel had tested Bunny Girl's mettle on accident while obeying a mage that he had felt embodied Alpha qualities. Truth be told, Gajeel had been stunned to his core by Lucy's sassy returns no matter how much damage he dished out. No doubts lingered in Gajeel's mind that Lucy Heartfilia was the kind of match any Dragon Slayer would be fortunate to get their hands on as a spouse.

Although Gajeel was in no hurry to settle down, he knew how perfect Lucy Heartfilia would be as a lifelong partner. Dragon magic was too harsh a task master to not seek out strong women who could handle the quirks caused by the magic. Having seen how resilient and strong Lucy was with his own eyes, and fists, Gajeel knew she could tame Laxus if she so chose. It was her strength to be gentle that had earned her the nickname Gajeel gave Lucy in the first place. The woman knew when to be sassy, and when to give in with grace. Her generous nature made her the most formidable opponent a Slayer could tangle with in Gajeel's opinion. He held nothing but bottomless respect for her, or he never would have given her a nickname.

Unlike Natsu, and Laxus, who both caved to the animalistic drives of the Dragon Magic, Gajeel stayed in control of his instincts. Metalicana made very sure that Gajeel had sense enough to be wary of letting the strengthened instincts control his actions. True Alphas were tricky at best, and nightmarish at worst when it came to dragon lore, and Gajeel knew that testing and teasing Laxus was acceptable to a certain point, but he had to be careful of how much he teased the older man.

Also, Gajeel was all too aware of how badly he would lose the fight if Laxus became serious about Bunny Girl being his best personal match. Part of Gajeel hoped Laxus got over his fixation with Lucy fast so the young woman remained available for pursuit when Gajeel began to feel the desire to settle down. The rest of Gajeel's psyche could not help but entertain the idea that the small woman might be the best one to keep Laxus from doing something the whole guild would regret.

Natsu would also get destroyed if Laxus did get serious about Bunny Girl being his eventual spouse simply by how touchy Natsu was with her. As the most immature of the group, Gajeel recognized that Natsu was still a child in his emotions, and had zero sexual interest in Lucy. Yet Laxus would not see things that way if Lucy's appeal did prove too irresistible for the older man to ignore for long. Alpha's were the most territorial by nature, and Laxus would not tolerate Natsu hanging on Bunny Girl if he did cave to the temptation.

The same alpha instincts made Laxus a genuine monster when it came to magical output compliments of his lacrima's storage capacity. The instincts that the man possessed were devastating once unleashed as Gajeel had experienced in the flesh. Every time Laxus released magic stored in the dragon lacrima, his instincts were sharpened dramatically. It was alarming that the big man had no idea it was happening to him. Considering how unthinking Natsu could be, Gajeel expected the pair to have some serious fights after their team retrieved the Celestial Mage, and Laxus was forced to accept that he was not in complete control of his own mind.

Gajeel knew that his and Natsu's native Slayer instincts had keyed their reactions to sit back and watch the show as Laxus tested Bunny Girl's mettle for himself. Every symptom of Laxus' behavior toward Lucy screamed that the huge man was smitten with her, but unable to decide where she fit into his normal lifestyle, which meant nothing in the face of the ever sharpening instincts that were working overtime in Laxus' case.

Instincts were not lumping Lucy into the expected screw and dump category preferred by Laxus ongoing playboy life style as far as Gajeel could determine. Such a small shift had to be driving the big man a bit crazy, and increasing his anger issues. As a playboy, Laxus probably resented the fact he was becoming attached to Bunny Girl. It was probably hard for the big man to believe such a tiny woman who had guts to spare was not a weakling. In a way, Lucy's short stature was probably throwing Laxus off because part of him thought her tiny size meant she should not be able to back up her spunky personality. The man's mind was hard wired to favor size by his upbringing, os the countering subconscious message was triggering ever stronger levels of anxiety if nothing else.

Yet it was Lucy Heartfilia's brains that made it very possible for her to back her fiery personality as needed. His logical, human side had already informed Laxus that she was worth teaching the needed skill, and honing her body so she would be even more formidable as a mage. Still, Laxus was not willing to mentally recognize that his instincts already knew; that the younger woman was already strong enough to take Laxus on, and beat him under the right circumstances.

Much of Laxus irritation also seemed to be caused by Makarov's persuasive and cunning arguments geared to convince Lahar to let Laxus be part of this retrieval mission. It was probably a direct challenge to Laxus' leadership that his arguments had failed when his grandfather's had won. Only after Lucy's father began adding to the pressuring to accept Laxus as a team leader had Lahar finally agreed to let Fairy Tail's acting Master out of the guild to take care of business. Yet it was not as if Laxus was able to fully get that portion of the ordeal. It was his grandfather's well intentioned meddling that had Laxus seeing red.

Due to the same pressure from Jude Heartfilia's demands, Lahar had authorized the temporary reinstatement of Team Natsu, plus Gajeel and Laxus to keep the three destructive mages under control. Gajeel found himself with Erza, Laxus had Natsu, and Lahar was keeping track of Gray for the duration of this mission to retrieve Bunny Girl.

Feeling an elbow to his ribs, Gajeel frowned at Natsu who was grinning in high amusement. The pink haired male nodded toward Laxus' ongoing stalking across the concrete and wood platform. "Someone's got to tell him about why he's going nuts."

"Don't look at me, Flame Thrower. I've already said my piece and he damned near fried me over it."

"So what should we do?" Natsu tried again as his face scrunched up, trying to think about how to handle the dangerously angry man now controlling Fairy Tail's future.

"How should I know? We gotta get Bunny Girl back. Maybe she'll be able to figure out how to get him to listen if we explain things to her." Gajeel grumbled back in an equally soft voice as he glanced at the next bench over where Captain Lahar was cleaning his glasses, and Gray Fullbuster was struggling to keep his clothes on his body.

"I really want to tease Laxus some more so he'll decide what Luce means to him. But, I don't want to get zapped."

Gajeel grunted in agreement. Finding amusement in Laxus' ignorance was perhaps cruel, and yet he and Natsu were both enjoying how fast Laxus denied everything while he rose to their baiting in spectacular fits of defensiveness.

"Master Laxus, would you please take a seat? Fidgeting is not going to make any difference. All you will do is tire yourself out." Lahar pointed out in a monotone voice.

"Blondie doesn't have time for pointless politics, Lahar. I could be looking for her right now if you didn't insist on us wasting time with her father's display of wealth. We could have left here half an hour ago if not for you telling him we'd use his personal train!" Laxus growled.

"I'm surprised that you're willing to refuse his aide. Considering your personality, it seems a bit odd to me that you seem unhappy with the special treatment he's giving you, Master Laxus." Lahar pointed out as he perched his glasses upon his aristocratic nose.

"My second in command is probably getting abused by those underhanded pricks, Lahar. Blondie's strong, but she's magically depleted so can't save herself right now. The shit they have planned for her is bad! I **need** that woman in the Guild office so we can get all the back owed fines and everything else covered by the deadline the Magic Council set. Paying off those fines is our only chance to turn the guild around. In case you've forgotten, Fairy Tail's survival is on the line here. Or maybe that's why you're all for holding us up as long as you can?"

Gajeel could scarce prevent himself from bursting into laughter over Laxus argument. The Lightning Rod needed Bunny Girl alright, but not in the way he was trying to stubbornly cling to in his own brain. A quick sideways glance told him that Natsu had not picked up on the stress of the word need as it flew from Laxus' mouth.

"Fair enough, but you don't strike me as someone who's very concerned about his guild since you have handed control over to your grandfather to chase after Heartfilia." Lahar spat back.

"Gihehehe. You don't know much about Dragon Slayers, or even Second gens do you, Captain Lahar?" Gajeel interrupted the argument before Laxus lost control over his magic.

Laxus turned to glare at him as the antsy man stopped pacing. "Shut it, Metal Freak!"

Gajeel heard Natsu join him in their shared laughter until Erza bopped Natsu on the top of his head. From the look in Laxus eyes, Gajeel realized the man was considering zapping them both for daring to find anything funny.

Gray shook his head at his nemesis from his place beside Lahar. "Leave Laxus alone, you two. He got us clearance to help get Lucy back. At least keep your traps shut until we've got her back. We can go back to giving him hell over his crush after she's safe."

"I do not have a fucking crush on Blondie. Would you assholes stop with all this bullshit already? The Guild needs her expertise in handling business matters more than you can imagine right now. Unlike you idiots, Blondie's got brains, and I'm not going to lose such a valuable member just because the lot of you refuse to grow up!" Sparks were beginning to shimmer and fall around Laxus imposing body as his power leaked from his furious form.

Something from deep within surfaced to open Gajeel's mouth as the need to rib Laxus overwhelmed Gajeel's more cautious side. "Bunny is real smart, and tough enough to stand up to you, Lightning Rod. At least you've got that much right. Never would'a pegged you for the brainiac smitten type though. She's more my style of woman since I like them feisty and smart enough to keep me on my toes."

"Watch it, Metal Head, or I'll beat your ass into the ground again. I am not smitten or any of the rest of the shit you and the flaming reject seem to be thinking!" Laxus snarled, larger jags of sparks crackled around his body.

"Look, I'm not pushing nothing on you, Lighting Rod. I've already figured out she's a keeper, Master Laxus. So if you really aren't testing her for the reason me and Ash Breath think you are, I'll be happy to see if she's interested in me instead. Bunny's already passed the toughest test I could throw at her, and I know she's got what it takes to stick with a Dragon Slayer, no problem." Gajeel responded with a quirky smirk simply to see whether or not Laxus would relax, or get far more agitated.

What happened next had Gajeel's mind reeling as he tried to figure out how Laxus moved so fast. He found himself hanging in the air, dangling by his throat, unable to breathe with Laxus' magic shrieking through his nervous system. The cacophony of shouting mages impacted Gajeel's ears, without making any sense as he was caught within Laxus enraged gaze. Unable to hear Laxus' words over the shrieks and cries of Team Natsu and Captain Lahar, Gajeel found himself thinking that he had gone way too far with his last comment.

Suspended in the air, eternity seemed to stretch before Gajeel's eyes until he found himself landing in a twitching heap of agony. Air rushed into suddenly starved lungs that did not quite wish to function. Trying to shake off the vicious magical shocking, Gajeel struggled to sit upright, and fend off the hands that were prodding at him as if to check for damage.

"Gajeel's going to be fine." Erza's voice came into true focus.

Shaking his head to rid the last of the buzzing from his brain, Gajeel got himself sitting upright, and looked up. It was a frightening sight that greeted Gajeel's fast refocusing eyes. Murder screamed from Laxus' magic and especially his crazed eyes, as he tried to break out of the rune barrier Lahar had erected around him.

". . . so be warned that the next wise crack out of you assholes and I'm going to ram your damned stupidity up your asses. Blondie doesn't have time for this kind of stupid shit, and I mean from any of you. So shut the fuck up about her already!" Laxus was roaring loud enough to have the Station's customers facing their small group.

Shrinking back, Gajeel found his eyes taking in everyone else's positions. Natsu was audibly whimpering while still bracing himself between Gajeel's position and Laxus. Gray's clothes were in a scattered heap beneath the bench he had been sitting on, as the black haired Ice Mage twitched from having gotten shocked senseless to the side of Gajeel and Natsu's bench. Erza had requipped into an armor that Gajeel vaguely recalled had safeguards against lightning magic, also positioned somewhat between Laxus and himself.

Lahar was panting and looking ill as he maintained physical contact with the barrier that Laxus' far greater magical force was threatening to dispel. From the side, Gajeel noticed movement, and turned his head to investigate. The last thing any of them needed was for a civilian to have gotten caught up in their tussle.

Abject horror twisted Jude Heartfilia's features into an almost unrecognizable mask. Digging deep into himself Gajeel got to his feet and dusted himself off. He had to try and calm the older man down by raising his hands in surrender. "I get it that I fucked up with that joke. Sorry, Boss. Won't happen again, I swear. I'll lay off with the teasing you and shit. I know you're worried about Lucy, and I need to stop giving you grief about her. Chalk it up to be tired enough that I was running my mouth to try and stay awake more than meaning anything I said, Master Laxus. I went too far, and I know it."

Natsu took a shaky step back while nodding. "Bad time to be joking with Laxus about Luce is right! He's really pissed off now! Don't think I've ever seen Laxus this mad before."

Gray groaned from his position on the ground before biting out between clenched teeth, "Now you morons are figuring out that Laxus has been pissed off since he stumbled back into the guild bleeding all over the place after Lucy got kidnapped? Do you mind leaving the rest of us out of your stupidity? I agree with Laxus that you need your ass kicked for talking about my sister that way. In fact, once I get over the fucking zapping I got, I'm going to knock you out myself, you metal munching Jerk! You aren't good enough for Lucy. She deserves someone who respects her and in this case, Laxus has you beat since he seems to have more respect for her than you, Gajeel."

"Agreed, Gray. One more comment about my Heart's sister, and I will personally castrate you." Erza snarled as she pointed several dozen swords at Gajeel.

Keeping his hands in the air, Gajeel gave a solid nod to mollify the livid looking red head who was glaring at him with almost as deadly an intent as Laxus. "Got it. I'm not going to go chasing Bunny Girl's skirt for any kind of fling. I swear, guys. I do happen to respect Lucy Heartfilia a lot. She's a real Keeper like I already said. If I thought for a minute that some scum bag was out to ruin her, I'd be the first in line to pound the bastard's head in."

The swords vanished much to Gajeel's relief. "Very well. Make sure you see to it that you don't besmirch dear Lucy's honor further, even in jest."

"Believe me, I won't, Titania." Gajeel answered as he dropped his arms and rubbed his sore throat.

Watching Laxus out of the corner of his eye, Gajeel hoped he would survive the trip to their destination. Although his magic had subsided, Lahar looked far worse for wear after holding the Lightning Mage in place thrugh his rune magic. The big man had stopped fighting the barrier, and was now standing with his arms folded over his massive chest, eyes closed as if waiting for a chance to get free. It was the thinking and planning Laxus that Gajeel knew he had the most reason to fear. It did not take a genius to see that Laxus was indeed plotting and planning something nasty for Gajeel in retaliation for his thoughtless comment.

Heartfilia's voice broke Gajeel out of his dark musings. "I have the train ready to go. Please follow me."

Everyone looked at each other, with Natsu grabbing Gray's hand to heave him to his feet. Seeing Gray wobble a bit, Gajeel was fast to grab the Ice mage's clothing and pack. Seeing as Natsu was holding the other mage up, Gajeel also grabbed his fellow Slayer's pack and stepped up behind Erza who was walking close to Lucy's father.

A glance back showed Gajeel that Lahar was dropping the rune barrier, while giving Laxus some kind of soft worded advice as the pair began following the rest of the group toward Heartflia's Express. Boarding the train, Gajeel was quick to settle as far away from Laxus seat as he could get. Attuning his ears to the conversation happening in the front of the train between Jude, Laxus, and Lahar was even more eye opening about how close Gajeel had come to getting himself severely injured. Hearing Laxus reassuring Lucy's father that he would not tolerate anyone using 'Blondie' as a sex object, nor pursuing her if they had less than honorable intentions toward the woman had Gajeel cringing down in his seat and feeling sick to his stomach. A shared look with Natsu, and Gajeel knew they both needed to do some serious rethinking on how Laxus viewed Fairy Tail's most beloved member.


	23. Chapter 22

A/N: Glad to be back. All the malware mirrors are gone thanks to the Google Team, so I am no longer worried about anyone getting hijacked and hacked who read my stories. Thanks to all who have faved, followed, and reviewed as I really appreciate everyone's interest, especially the feedback I have gotten from some of you. As always, I make no money off this story nor own Fairy Tail. _**Italic bold = dream**_

CHAPTER 22

_** "So Tanya really went through with her plans and met with that incredibly sexy man?" Lucy overheard one of the older debutante's stage whisper while picking up a crystal cup filled with Fruit punch from the heavy laden drink table.**_

_** The small circle of older teenaged girls at this particular ball seemed quite intent upon getting an answer out of Colette Westerly, the stunning brunette acting as ring leader of their clique."Yes. I envy her so much right now too. At least Tanya enjoyed herself. Then again, Mr. Huntington should probably thank Mr. Dreyer for the favor of showing Tanya a very good time, and teaching her how to please her future husband."**_

_** "Old as he is, the only reason Huntington's marrying Tanya is so that she will raise his brats while he runs around making a bigger profit." Heather Cartright pointed out in a soft voice.**_

_** "I wish my father would hire such handsome Fairy Tail mages for our security. But, he doesn't want to risk any scandals now that he's got a contract for my hand. Tanya's fortunate that she got to enjoy losing her chastity though. Looks like I'll have to hope the nerve tonic makes it bearable on my honeymoon. At least I get to spend two months traveling the world as I get to know Stanley better. He's a pleasant enough conversationalist, even if he is fourteen years older than me." Colette repsonded.**_

_** "What is it with all the widowers contracting our hands in marriage this season? Why can't we get contracts with men in our own age range?" Franchesca Wyatt, one of Lucy's few closer acquaintances, was demanding in a soft huff as Lucy slunk toward the garden doors without being detected.**_

_** Quickly stepping through the opening, Lucy sought to get fresh air and to ignore gossip about who was contracted to marry which wealthy merchant or noble. All too aware that she herself was being watched and viewed by the many men in the ballroom as a first year candidate to contract for marriage, Lucy felt nauseous. **_

_** Without warning, Lucy found herself jumping as a massive hand slapped the desktop beside her forcing her eyes up to meet those of her scowling Guild Master as her thoughts were jerked back to her location in the guild office. **_

_** "Quit daydreaming, Blondie. We've got a guild to save, and I don't need losers, or slackers bringing Fairy Tail down. So unless your thinking about how to turn this disaster around, and care to share the ideas, get back to real work. I'm done with all the useless prattling, and demands where that moron is concerned."**_

_** Lucy felt her eyes narrowing as she glared up at Laxus Dreyer. Without warning Lucy was recalling the gossips of her first season as a debutante, many of which were flooding her thoughts. Such gossip had led Lucy to learning all she could about the Fairy Tail guild, although for a very different reason than the other girls of her social class. In Lucy's case, it was the thrill of being a professional mage that had captivated her, and kept her buying Sorcerer Weekly behind her father's back. The gossip among the ton had jaded Lucy toward the attractive man who angered her as no other human being ever could long before she met the infamous scoundrel named Laxus Dreyer. **_

_** If only Tanya and the rest of those women who had married for wealth knew what an utter jerk Laxus Dreyer was in reality! Had they known the truth, no doubt each of them would have sought out their gardeners, or other, far more decent men for their first times. So many of them had either day dreamed of losing their innocence to the rogue, or found ways to succeed in meeting him for a day. Each rumor escalated Laxus Dreyer's scandalous reputation of cuckolding far richer and powerful men a week or two before their marriages. Seeing what a horrible person Laxus was in person made Lucy ill every time she recalled that he was an emotionless playboy.**_

_** The man was impossible. He refused to listen to her even though she knew better than he did where their guild-mates were concerned. "You're blond too, so why don't you learn to be a bit more creative with your obnoxious nicknames?!" traipsed off Lucy's tongue as she shot to her feet, bumping her forehead into the man's chin.**_

_** "Che. You're begging to be put over my knee and taught not to back talk me, aren't you?" Laxus growled as his far larger hand wrapped around Lucy's closest wrist, tugging her to face him as he continued to loom over her, bent forward to glare her in the eyes.**_

_** "Oooooooohhhhhh! If you weren't so stubborn you'd accept that I'm right! How can you be so full of yourself all the time? I'll never understand what my old friends saw in a jerk like you!"**_

_** "Easy, Blondie. Real women appreciate men like me. They know how not to annoy me by goofing off when they have things to do. Unlike a certain spoiled debutante who thinks she can flaunt herself and get away with it all the time, real women don't go around teasing real men and then try playing the innocent card to get what they want from me." Laxus continued as his eyes implied he was mentally stripping Lucy.**_

_** "I'm not teasing anyone, you stupid jerk! Stop saying that to me because I'm sick of this argument, and your stupid accusations!" **_

_** Fury drove Lucy's free arm into motion, only the egotistical beast's free hand moved faster. The slap Lucy intended to deliver never connected as Laxus caught and pinioned both wrists in a single hand. "Let me go, you insufferable, arrogant pig!" **_

_** Struggling to get free of his grasp brought a devilish smirk to Laxus' lips. Seeing that smug expression shot Lucy's fury into an all new realm of blind wrath. The man was nothing short of a bully, and Lucy was determined to make him pay for harassing her yet again. Lashing out with a foot did no good because Laxus effortlessly blocked her leg with his free hand. **_

_** "Such a sassy little tease. Never would have guessed that I'd be so amused by a little debutante like you." Laxus purred as he bent down to bring his mouth closer to Lucy's ear. "Got to hand it to you, Blondie, you sure aren't boring." A**__**tickling sensation brushed her chin and throat even as Laxus chest began to push down upon her body, bending Lucy backward against the desk.**_

Pain flared across Lucy's forehead, jerking her awake as a masculine voice snapped near her head. "Will you stop before you hit X-rated? Damn, I'm not interested in listening to your kinky sex life, Girly."

Eyes flying open, Lucy jerked up and smacked into something hard. Off balance, Lucy tried to right her swaying body, only to feel her wrists refuse to separate. Sliding along the rough surface, Lucy threw her hands out to the same side so she would not fall in a heap. However, with her arms held close, Lucy could not scramble away from the stranger with any ease.

A man with purplish red hair was glaring at her much to Lucy's surprise as her eyes began to function. Worse yet, a large snake wove back and forth hypnotically, watching Lucy over the man's shoulder as he crouched down beside her.

Tugging her arms up, Lucy was dismayed to see rune crusted shackles on her wrists as a heavy fur lined coat slid down to pool around her waist. A very familiar, heavy coat that was possibly as long as Lucy was tall greeted Lucy's eyes. A coat that Lucy wished she did not recognize. The fur lined coat of one very arrogant lightning mage, and new guild master who drove Lucy to the brink of complete enraged melt downs at every opportunity.

"Wow, Girly, so your boyfriend makes you mad huh? Not like

I care, but I never would have taken you for the angry sex kitten kink type by looking at you." the strange man commented as he dropped into a chair across from Lucy, the snake quick to lean against the man's body.

"Laxus is not my boyfriend! Nor am I into angry sex kinks, you Pervert! Where am I, and why is his stupid coat on me in the first place?" Lucy snapped at the cocky man smirking at her.

"The way you broadcast things, you sure seem to be into anger kinks to me, Girly. Not like I enjoy hearing that shit, and I really don't care to be smelling it either. So do us both a favor and keep a lid on it." the maroon haired man snapped back, leaning back in his chair against the other wall.

Brows furrowing, Lucy gazed at her dampish surroundings, noticing smoking torches and light lacrimas embedded in the windowless room's rough hewn walls. The words from the annoyed looking stranger registered. The dream Lucy was having before she was thumped awake by this stranger rose to the surface. Old memories tended to fuse with new experiences whenever Lucy slept of late. Realizing that her latest argument with Laxus had been part of her dream, Lucy wondered if she was sleep talking to give a complete stranger such an impression of herself.

Other than Laxus showing off his superior strength by bending her upper body backward to an uncomfortable degree while yelling at her, Lucy knew there was nothing about the argument that fit the rude stranger's accusations. Much as Lucy wanted to beat Laxus Dreyer within an inch of his life, she also knew it was impossible to win with brute strength. Winning against Laxus meant outmaneuvering him through cunning. Although her plans were not yet ready to put in full motion, Lucy knew she had far more experience in winning power games than Laxus, all thanks to her father.

Had Lucy been able to curb the desire to hit Laxus, he never would have lain a finger on her during that particular altercation. Like most of their arguments, the latest one that resulted in Lucy being bent back over her desk had involved Laxus refusing to listen to anything she had to say about her spending time with Natsu to calm her fiery tempered partner's emotions and frazzled nerves. As Laxus was a die hard pervert, he had immediately decided that Lucy was interested in Natsu, which was why he began making verbal accusations about how she dressed. It was Laxus favorite insult, and the only one Lucy found herself unable to tolerate without blinding rage. Knowing she had pushed Laxus into caging her body did not make Lucy any less embarrassed about the possibility of having spoken out loud while dreaming about their fight however.

Even if her hands were cuffed, Lucy was determined to turn mortification into vent-able rage. Her eyes focused on the wretched man who insisted on insulting her. Trying to leap to her feet, Lucy found herself falling face first to the hard rocky ground. Her leg had jerked out from beneath her when she tried to get to her feet to kick the snide man. Whipping around to see what the problem was that caused the sudden tugging, Lucy's eyes fell upon a chain embedded in the wall. Whipping Laxus coat off her legs, Lucy found the chain connected to a cuff that was locked around her right boot clad ankle.

Realization swamped Lucy's mind. She was well and truly trapped, a prisoner of unknown people for some unknown reason that probably had to do with her Father's plots yet again. Hands cuffed, and her magic untouchable because of being so drained due to her battle with the Spirit King combined with the spell that cut her off from her flagging power. Understanding that she was on empty magically, Lucy realized she was in serious trouble.

Feeling around for her keys, Lucy realized a few seconds later that they were missing. Something in the back of her mind gibbered about fighting to get her keys away from someone else earlier, but Lucy could not figure out the fuzzy images and impressions due to her exhaustion.

Fear rose to choke Lucy as her mind recalled how Aquarius reacted whenever she lost her precious keys. Her butt began stinging in memory as Lucy tried to understand her current situation. Aquarius was going to kill her, Lucy found herself thinking.

"Soon as she finds your keys, Angel's going to take over your spirits. Seeing as how you can't control them anyway, you should thank her to taking control over them." The man spoke with an obvious smirk in his voice.

Head swiveling back to look at her jailor, Lucy's eyes narrowed. "My spirits aren't tools to be used or abused! Nothing will stop me from getting my family back, and your friend isn't worthy of them if she thinks they'll change contracts so easily. Loke will never agree to serve anyone else because he owes me a debt! My mother cared for them before I was born, and also treated them with respect and love. Considering a couple have bound their existence to my family line, your slimy pal is out of luck."

Dizziness spun behind her eye balls even as Lucy yelled at her jailor. Pain flashed through her body making Lucy's vision waver. The inability to feel her magic had Lucy's body trembling as if ice flowed through her veins. Her confined hands braced on the edge of the thin feeling sleeping bag Lucy discovered that she sat upon.

"Doesn't matter what you say, because you can't beat Angel in a fight anyway. All she has to do is beat you with her fists to cancel your contracts from what I've been told about your weak holder magic. You got no chance of getting out of your new job once you recover. You don't need spirits because you're going to be using your real power from now on, Girl."

Confusion swirled through Lucy as she glowered at the man. Whatever he was talking about made no sense to Lucy since her love of her spirit family was her true power's source. Shaking her head and rolling her eyes, Lucy decided that she was being held captive by fools who would be disappointed soon enough without her opening her mouth.

Another wave of ice rolled through Lucy's body, and Laxus coat was the only thing she had for a blanket. Struggling to decide whether or not to pull it over her body to get warm, Lucy found herself pondering if the vile tempered man was even okay. It made sense that Laxus was also a prisoner somewhere in this tunnel system. It was the only explanation for how Lucy found herself in possession of Laxus' beloved coat. Yet if Laxus was also a prisoner, where was he being held? Who could possibly be strong enough to imprison an obscenely powerful wizard like Laxus Dreyer in the first place?

The question sent Lucy's stomach to roiling and pitching as the dizziness got worse. Exhaustion weighed on her bones and body as Lucy found herself getting far sicker with each labored beat of her heart. Fighting to stay awake, Lucy tried to ignore how ill she felt as she willed herself to think things through with all her might.

If these people were intent upon returning her to her father's control, they would not need to control Laxus. Having his coat implied they had the older mage locked down somewhere, and that could very well mean that someone was trying to kill Laxus, and thought having her as a prisoner would make it easier to achieve the goal.

A snicker greeted Lucy's ears as she fought to remain calm. Blinking rapidly Lucy managed to clear her sight well enough to see her guard giving her a vicious edged smirk as he scratched the underside of the huge snake's jaw with lazy strokes of his finger tips.

Jaw clenching, Lucy refused to waste energy trying to draw the stranger out. She needed to figure out what was at stake. Glaring back at her current babysitter, Lucy continued to ponder the few facts she had available. Was the maroon haired man going to hold Laxus' welfare over her head, or was she the one to suffer if Laxus disobeyed these people? To Lucy's thinking, it seemed more likely that she was the hostage to keep Laxus in line, hence her rude wake up call to discover that she was beneath his coat. It made a sick kind of sense that this egotistical excuse for a man would assume Lucy's only real power was contained in her physical charms as most castor mages tended to believe.

"The fuck is wrong with you, Girl? You need your head examined. Brain'll explain everything when he's ready. You ain't here to be no fucking toy, or some kind of worthless arm ornament, that's for damned sure."

Heaving a sigh, Lucy began to wonder if the man was a telepath. If so, everything Lucy thought was possibly open to the man's perusal which made her even angrier. Looking back to her lap, Lucy focused on the coat she was absently petting. Knowing Laxus, he was going to be furious that his beloved coat was with her in the first place. Nobody was allowed to touch his prized possession, not even Laxus' rabidly devoted teammates. Knowing how possessive Laxus was of his coat had Lucy dreading his reaction once she was facing the furious man once again. Even if she had no say in this situation, Laxus was certain to punish her over having his property, even if it was by accident.

Tired as Lucy was, it was hard to not think about her situation from points of view that she was all too familiar with due to so much evidence piling up. Using her as a hostage would never even work considering Laxus was not one to obey anyone. On thing Lucy believed with all her heart was that Laxus would not cooperate with anything he did not desire to do, especially not for anyone's continued good health. Using her as a hostage would be useless to these people because Laxus Dreyer only saw her as a means to an end. She was the slave her could torment while getting the guild backlog completed. Because Lucy knew how to balance budgets and fund raise, Laxus tolerated her presence. Outside of her usefulness at typing out forms, Lucy had little hope of Laxus caring if she was beaten to death by these jerks. If there was one thing Lucy had learned, it was that Laxus was cold blooded, calculating, and enjoyed harassing her until she was quite miserable during their tedious hours of working together. The man thrived on making her angry and pushing Lucy into corners because she lacked physical strength to fight back.

On the heels of that certainty, Lucy found herself wondering if she could convince her abductor to tell her where Laxus was being restrained. No doubt he was also in magic canceling handcuffs, and other magic snuffing barriers to keep him locked down.

"Now why would I tell you anything, Girly? I have no interest in enlightening you about your boyfriend. Guess you'll have to wait and see for yourself. Oracion Seis has kicked his ass, but that's to be expected since we are exceptionally powerful. Too bad you put too much faith in your punk boyfriend. Shouldn't you be worried about yourself since he failed to keep you safe?"

Shuddering at the amusement laced words flowing from her guard's mouth, Lucy closed her eyes as tears began to fall despite her inner battle to remain in control of her emotions. However much Laxus angered her, Lucy did not want him suffering with injuries that were capable of keeping the stubborn man down. For all that Laxus was bad with people, and arrogant beyond belief, Lucy knew he was trying to save Fairy Tail with everything he had inside himself. Laxus had to be injured too badly to get free, and that thought shattered most of Lucy's already shaky composure.

Realizing that Laxus' absence from the guild hall would spell the end of Fairy Tail was one thing Lucy could not handle. Losing her guild was too painful for contemplating. The thought of how her team would be in grave danger if Laxus was not around to keep them safe rose unbidden, alongside things Gajeel and Natsu had grumbled about after the battle of Fairy Tail.

Aware that Natsu and Gajeel considered Laxus a genuine monster that required them working together to keep the cocky man confined in a single area, Lucy felt terror rising from her core. Alone, both Natsu and Gajeel admitted to being outclassed by Laxus to the point hat they agreed to set aside their differences and work as a team to keep him busy while other mages tried to undo the Thunder Palace. Only the truce called when Makarov's health failed had ended the stalemate of three very powerful Dragon Slayers fighting all out for supremacy over Fairy Tail's fate.

Without question, Laxus was the strongest Dragon Slayer in their guild, as he countered everything from the iron and fire Slayers combined attacks with minor wounds to show for all Natsu and Gajeel's efforts. According to all that Lucy had overheard about their pitched battle, Laxus was probably bordering Wizard Saint levels of strength because Gajeel and Natsu were both terrifying powerhouses who often overcame dark guild S class mages including their masters. Even Erza and Mystogan had failed to take Laxus down during their two battles with Laxus, and they were fellow S class mages who were very well respected for their own terrifying strength.

Even as Lucy's nausea and dizziness peaked, she found herself envisioning Natsu, Erza, and Gray. Her crazy teammates always found Lucy, and protected her without fail before this new calamity struck. Yet it felt impossible for her team to find and save her if a brutal powerhouse like Laxus had somehow been robbed of his coat, and freedom.

Lucy found tears spilling down her cheeks as images of her team's antics began to spiral through her mind. Natsu's goofy grin, and his thoughtless charges into action led the way for other images. Gray and Natsu's head butting turned into instant hugging buddies as Erza threatened their lives. Erza's blissful expression as she devoured cake slices also swam thought Lucy's mental screen as she tried to contain a rising sense of hopelessness. The three hot headed members of Team Natsu engaging in battles, destroying structures as well as enemies while Lucy did her best to watch their backs flitted through Lucy's mind to torment her.

A series of harsh barked laughs yanked Lucy out of her spinning thoughts. The maroon haired jerk was still watching her with a tilt to his head. "At least you're not boring to listen to while I'm stuck watching you, Chick."

"Stay out of my mind you stupid Telepath!" Lucy snarled with all the strength she could muster, which was quite feeble sounding to her own ears.

Eyes narrowing, the maroon haired man came out of his chair and dropped down so that they were nose to nose as he grabbed her chin in a painful hold. "Wrong kind of magic, Little Girl. The name's Cobra, and I'm a Dragon Slayer just like all your little pals. The Poison Dragon Slayer no less. Unlike your pals, I'm superior in every way. Seems you're a weakness to each and every one of them. Even if you don't get it yet, it's pretty obvious to me that you're unaware of how big a liability you are to all your little friends." Cobra smirked as he grabbed Laxus coat, and shoved Lucy onto her back while covering her ice cold body. "Good thing you no longer have to worry about anything except doing whatever you're told to do by Brain and Jellal. Isn't it?"

Satisfied that she could not get back up, the ruthless looking man released his grip on Lucy's face and stood back up. Flashing another evil grin, Cobra stared down at her as Lucy felt her fingers sinking into the fur trim of said heavy coat like it was a physical anchor.

Determined to find strength from her core depths, Lucy began digging through her memories searching for every instance she could remember where she had been 'told what to do' . . . and the utter lack of success her tellers had achieved to fortify her resolve to fight back.

The massive snake slithered closer, gliding up the man's body to wrap itself around his waist and torso. Without another word, Cobra of Oracion Seis stomped away from Lucy. Head turning to the side, Lucy watched as Cobra headed down the left branching tunnel. Determined to dig at the arrogant man who thought Lucy was going to be subservient to his whims, she plunged into every memory she could recall that mocked the man glaring in her direction. Lucy dove deep into her lifelong defiance of her father's demands and replayed her newest accomplishment, challenging Loke's fate and winning her argument with the Celestial Spirit King.

Before Cobra got far, he came to a sudden stop, glaring over his shoulder at Lucy's prone figure. If nothing else, Lucy was certain that Cobra was a kind of mind reader, if not a genuine telepath as she first assumed when he woke her earlier. Exhausted to a body numbing state, Lucy was still aware of what she was doing. Despite being so ill and weak, Lucy had plenty of concrete evidence that she would not be controlled by anyone to strengthen her resolve. Her rage made Lucy feel reckless enough to give the maroon haired man something to think about if nothing else.

Not even the lopsided battle against Erigor's minions at the train station when Lucy first worked with Erza, nor facing the demon flute Lullaby had broken Lucy's determination to be a strong and independent mage worthy of her place on the new forming team she had unwittingly joined.

With each surfacing memory, Lucy knew she would find a way to get out of whatever these strangers had planned for her. Even if she got broken bones for her defiance, Lucy vowed that she was not going to cooperate with whatever the mystery group wanted her to do for them. Not even the all out war with Phantom Lord, including the physical abuse delivered by Gajeel's heavy metal fists, had deterred Lucy from her goal of being a valued member of her guild.

Laxus' ongoing, perverted harassment, plus so many verbal battles with her father combined into a thousand and one moves each of them took within their ongoing games of power. All the evidence Lucy needed to remind herself that she was stronger than others realized swirled through Lucy's mind. Each memory bolstered her courage, and increased her refusal to be controlled by anyone.

Even Laxus could only threaten to harm her physically; what Lucy had already learned as his new assistant put her on a far more equal footing with him than the big arrogant jerk suspected. One way or another Lucy was going to save her new family from the Magic Council, and keep Laxus from doing things that would harm her guild mates. Not even the arrogant man glaring at her was going to make Lucy fail to get her family back on their feet no matter the cost to herself.

"Your attitude isn't going to save you, Girl. Cooperate and maybe Brain and Jellal will keep you around a lot longer. You've got admirable spunk, so be smart about how you use it after you wake up again."

"Bring it on, tough guy, because I'm not going to be used by anyone for their gain." Lucy whispered before the last of her flagging strength gave out. Awareness faded fast as magical deprivation illness reasserting itself knocked Lucy out.


	24. Chapter 23

A/N: Don't make any money off this, but I get a kick out of writing Laxus in hard core denial. Thanks to everyone whom faved, followed, or been generous in giving me a review. I truly appreciate all of your thoughtful words, and the silent support as well. I'll get back to Star Song soon for those who are reading that tale also. My plot bunnies are rampaging with this tale for some reason. I'm not very good at humor writing, but I hope that the attempt will be appreciated in this chapter.

CHAPTER 23

Foul did not begin to cover Laxus' mood. A contemptuous snort escaped Laxus as he found himself listening in on four mages' furious, whispered conversation further back in Heartfilia's private train car. Thanks to Heartfilia and Lahar's presence, Laxus had his sound pods around his neck instead of listening to music to calm his roiling stomach, and that increased his foul mood exponentially.

Although Lahar had agreed to his underling choices, Laxus was starting to wish he had not chosen the rowdy, gossiping fools. Yet Laxus discarded his regrets as fast as they surfaced. Freed, Ever, and Bickslow needed to keep an eye on his grandfather to insure Fairy Tail did not backslide into the original chaos. A chaos that almost closed their doors for good. It was not as if Laxus had reason to doubt his ability to control Ice Prick and Flametard if needed. The immature idiots would be forced to grow up faster if Laxus punished them for their gossipy stupidity. Yet he also was in no position with his churning stomach to deal with Titania if she chose to defend the fools.

"I figure Laxus will make Lucy pay for a replacement coat once we get her back at the very least. If not, he's probably going to take his anger out on her, and I'd rather not see Lucy get hurt. I'm pretty sure he's decided she's the reason he lost the original." Gray was whispering in a subdued tone.

"I admit that I am surprised Laxus was driven off before he could retrieve it. Laxus hates going without his coat. Our foes must be exceptionally powerful to drive Laxus away without it. If he demands that Lucy replace it, we'll have to pitch in to help her purchase a new one. A trench coat like that one will be quite expensive since Laxus is such a large man." Erza spoke in equally soft tones.

"You two make it sound like Master Laxus values his coat more than he does Bunny Girl. I don't like what you two are implying because it doesn't make any sense to me." Gajeel grumbled in a strained voice.

"You have no idea how much Laxus values his coat and his sound pods. Ask his team how dangerous it is to touch either item, and then you'll understand why we're having this discussion. The one time Freed grabbed that silver fur trimmed trench coat to hand to Laxus, he got electrocuted so badly he spent a week in the infirmary." Erza responded in a harsh edged whisper.

Irritation growing, Laxus felt his brows plunging toward his nose as his fists tightened beneath his crossed arms. In the case of Freed getting electrocuted, the green haired man had pissed Laxus off for several weeks. The final straw that warranted the zapping Freed received was justified. Laxus refused to indulge Freed's over the top fawning, and the man had refused to back down when he had the chance. Freed's punishment came about because of how Freed had begun acting as if Laxus was an invalid, all in the name of serving his chosen master. The ongoing insult had to be stopped, and so Laxus had put down any future desire to take over his life.

"We know how protective Laxus is of both his most prized possessions. He doesn't go anywhere without both items. Laxus has been that way since he was a teenager. Even Ash Breath knows better than to do anything that might singe Laxus coat, and he doesn't think twice about destroying anything else. When Natsu destroyed the cloak Laxus had before his coat, Laxus really lost his shit and did serious damage the Natsu. Took several days for Natsu to get back up, and he's never considered damaging that damned coat since Laxus bought it."

"Ice Princess is right, Metal Head. Lightning Rod would rather die than let his coat get messed up. I learned that the hard way. His trench coat's like my scarf. I can't stand losing the only thing I have left of Igneel, and I'm sure Laxus feels the same way about his coat and his music. His coat and sound pods are part of who he is, same as my scarf is a part of me."

Laxus felt his brows twitching over Flametard drawing such a ridiculous parallel between their possessions. It was an outright lie that Laxus viewed his jacket, or sound pods as being part of himself. It was instilled into Laxus at a young age to take care of his possessions so that he could gain the maximum usage from everything he owned. Nothing more was involved than Laxus' intention to wring maximum value out of everything he purchased. Sentimentality had no place in Laxus' life. Sentimental ideals were reserved for losers like the idiots sitting behind him.

Despite recalling the very situations that three of the four mentioned, Laxus knew he was not as bad as they wanted to make him sound to Scrap Metal. Flametard had gone overboard when he destroyed Laxus' cloak for no good reason, outside of picking a meaningless fight, so Laxus gave him a valuable lesson in respect for others.

Both violent lessons had been deserved to Laxus way of thinking, and so he had given the proper response to both morons' bad behaviors. Freed no longer tried to wait on Laxus hand and foot as if Laxus was unable to care for his own needs, and Flametard no longer destroyed Laxus' property to get a meaningless fight.

"Sure, I expect Master Laxus to treasure certain things because all of us Slayer's horde something. Still doesn't mean that Sparky's going to decide lesser treasures are more important than Bunny Girl. In fact, I'm pretty sure he thinks she's more important or he wouldn't be here to fight to get her back. Master Laxus is a real monster powerhouse, so we need to focus on how to bring this dark guild down to get Bunny Girl back. Sorry but I can't believe Master Laxus would put a damned coat before Bunny Girl's welfare even if it is one of his treasures. You aren't giving him enough credit for trying to do what he believes is right. If I thought Laxus intended to put a replaceable coat before Bunny Girl's life, I sure as hell wouldn't be here intent on fighting beside him." Gajeel grumbled.

Hearing Gajeel's gruff toned lecture eased Laxus anger a fraction. At least one of the losers understood how things were supposed to be, even if Scrap Metal had no idea that Blondie was far more powerful than any of them suspected.

"Of course Laxus wants to get Lucy back if only because his coat got lost because of her. Which means we have to figure out how to convince Laxus not to blame or zap her. It's not much, but I do still have a small portion of my savings account. Since Team Natsu's gone, once I can start doing missions again, I'll help Lucy pay for a replacement. Won't Laxus let her off the hook if we can replace the original fast enough?" Gray's familiar voice sounded downright irate, even if he was keeping his voice down.

_'Blondie's valuable enough to not fry her over what's happened to her. The ones I'm going to fry are the fools that grabbed Blondie while she was wearing my coat. She's got insane levels of magic, and witnessing her unbelievable strength and courage gives me plenty of reasons to mold the woman into the formidable mage I know she'll be once she has the right training. Doesn't hurt that Blondie looked great under my trench. Silver Fox really suits her complexion. Would love to get her in my bed with nothing but my trench covering her sometime soon.' _

Hearing Erza's voice, Laxus discarded his perverted thoughts and attuned to her commentary. "An excellent idea. I'll contribute my savings to the plan when we get back. We will insure Lucy remains safe from Laxus' wrath, and help get him a new coat so we can all calm down. Once Laxus appears normal again, we will all be in a better mood."

"Yeah, Laxus doesn't look right without his coat. It almost feels like this mission has been jinxed somehow because Laxus doesn't have it on." Gray whined.

_'Leaders need to look the part, and Ice Prick's reacting to my not looking like normal is understandable to a point. Hope these dumb asses can function when they need to even if I'm not looking the expected part at the moment. After I get her back, maybe I'll have a dove gray and silver fox trench coat made for Blondie so she also looks the part. She'd look phenomenal in it, and it is fitting if she looks like my second in command should. Blondie needs to be respected for her position in helping run the guild. So, she really needs to look like she's backed by my authority.' _

"Can't wait 'til this train ride's over. Thinking about fighting anyone who can take Laxus' coat from him has me fired up. They must be super strong to make Laxus back down."

"Shut it, Salamander. Bunny Girl's safety should be your priority, not who we'll be fighting. Anyone strong enough to force Laxus to leave her behind, with him acting like he does around her, means we're facing mages that can give Wizard Saints a rough time in battle. We gotta make a plan to get her back without getting us all killed." Gajeel's volume rose to a genuine snarl.

_'Fucking Bucket of Bolts better stop pushing his weak minded ideas off on me while he's ahead. I'll rip his damned throat out if he doesn't lay off that stupid mate chasing bullshit. Blondie's hot, and I will get her in my bed sooner or later, but I'm not in it for anything other than getting laid. Like all the other women I've had, Blondie will get boring soon enough. She's useful enough to keep her around even after I've had my fill, and that's all that matters. I don't believe in all that sappy love crap. Stupid weaknesses like those are for the loser section, not me. Maybe if I zap the damned idiots they'll shut up about my coat and trying to delude their selves into thinking I'm in love with Blondie for a while.' _

Unlike the four mages sitting at the back of Jude Heartfilia's private train, Laxus was more interested in destroying the dark guild than he was worried about his coat's condition. Sure it was a comfortable and expensive silver fox lined suede trench that cost hundreds of thousands of jewels. Did it feel strange to not have it on his shoulders? Of course Laxus found himself feeling put out over not wearing it. Yet Laxus could buy another one any time he so desired, and had no reason to believe his coat was truly lost. Unless Laxus discovered that the enemy had stripped Blondie of his coat, or destroyed it, he had no reason to commission a second coat. All that was needed was finding Blondie and getting his coat and the girl back from her kidnappers.

Considering everything, it calmed Laxus knowing that his trench was keeping Blondie from getting far sicker than magic deprivation sickness was already causing. It was not as if the Dark Guild would take his coat away from Blondie when it was top of the line. It made sense that they would leave the coat on her because the fox fur would keep her body temperature stable until she could begin to recover her magic enough to produce her own body heat again. If Blondie's power was as important to this dark guild as it sounded, the Dark Guild would not risk Blondie's health deteriorating.

Laxus entertained the notion of telling the morons that he knew his coat was fine and why, but discarded the idea as soon as it surfaced. Having Bolts for Brains and Flametard start yapping about Blondie being mate material would make Laxus lose his breakfast despite having his self control down pat where his motion sickness was concerned.

The last thing Laxus wanted to hear was the four idiots losing their minds over his having wrapped Blondie in his coat to keep her body temperature stable by reinforcing it with his own. The silver fox fur trench coat retained his body heat for a couple of hours after he took it off which meant that Blondie had not had a dramatic drop in her body temperature thanks to Laxus recognizing the reality of her unavoidable Magical Depletion illness. No mage who hurled that much magic would be able to evade such a repercussion for long.

Far as Laxus knew, Blondie was still in possession of his trench if only because the dark guild would not risk her getting worse since they needed her magic for their plans. Magical deprivation illness was going to take time to recover from, so it was not as if the Dark Guild could use Blondie right away. Even if Bolt Bucket's little informant was correct about the Dark Guild having some ultra rare healer, Magic deprivation illness would not be gotten rid of in a single healing session. Until Blondie's magic container was able to replenish on it's own, she was no better than a mundane citizen of Fiore. In fact, for the moment, most ordinary citizen's of Fiore would be far stronger and more active than Blondie would be for at least a couple of weeks.

From Lahar's sketchy Nirvana information, it also seemed that the group had to find and dig out the magical item before they could do anything at all with Blondie. A contraption that could change people from light to darkness would come in quite handy if Blondie was anything remotely like the smelly brat claimed. Laxus did not want to contemplate what would happen to Fair Tail if he lost his new second in charge. Nothing would stop Laxus from devising his own strategy to get Blondie back so she could do the mountains of paperwork he detested.

"I'm kind of worried about facing this Dark Guild, Gajeel. If Laxus couldn't keep them from stealing his coat with how protective he is over it, what chance do we have of getting Luce back in one piece? I know Laxus is powerful so it's scary to think of him losing his last fight with this Dark Guild." Gray spoke loud enough to grab Laxus attention again.

"The way you keep talking, its like you don't think Master Laxus cares about Bunny Girl's welfare at all, and that's stupid, Frost Breath. Even if he is an asshole, I'm pretty sure he's got a high opinion of Bunny Girl. Otherwise he wouldn't be losing his shit like he did at the train station when I gave him an out. He's here instead of at the guild to get payback, and I am glad I'm not the one who's on his real shit list."

"Perhaps so, but Gray has a valid point, Gajeel. Laxus is never without his coat. He's like Natsu with his scarf. Forgive us for sounding cold when it comes to Master Laxus, but he isn't one to place the welfare of someone he considers weak before his most prized possessions. In fact, seeing Laxus without his coat is quite upsetting for those of us who know Laxus very well. It's as plausible that Laxus is reacting so violently because his coat is missing. Although, I do see how you have gotten the impression that Lucy being abducted is setting him off." Erza answered in an angry tone that caught Lahar's attention.

The ongoing speculation about what had happened to his coat made Laxus wish he had the control to let rip enough magic to electrocute the gossiping fools. Even his two fellow Dragon Slayers occasional comments garnered snorts of contempt from Laxus as he sat opposite Lahar and Jude Heartfilia.

"Your team seems restless and irritable, Master Laxus." Lahar pointed out.

"Of course they're upset. They're sulking over my making them train to control their powers, and fixating on stupid topics like my missing trench coat because they can't handle not seeing it on me. It's nonsense, but I'm sure that they'll settle down once we find this Dark guild and beat them into submission. At any rate, Blondie's everyone's favorite guild mate so they are going to be angry until we get her back. Her team thinks of her as their sibling, Captain." Laxus answered in a bored tone.

"Why do you say they think of my daughter as their sibling?" Jude asked in a snide tone.

"The younger mages in Fairy Tail are all orphans whom Master Makarov took in, and made sure learned basic control over their power. To their way of seeing the world, all their guild mates are their actual family as I understadn things. Is that correct, Master Laxus?"

Laxus gave a sharp nod as he kept a wary eye on Jude Heartfilia who looked as if he'd swallowed a rotten lemon.

Lahar took the liberty of continuing to speak. "However, it would have been best if Master Makarov had also thought to get them instruction in basic manners and self control while he was insuring they had a viable magical training guide."

Laxus grunted in a noncommittal tone. "I'm correcting that problem as you well know, Lahar."

Unfortunate circumstances, namely his train induced roiling stomach, prevented Laxus from wanting to speak further about the destructive fools he had to bring along to get Blondie back. If he got lucky, Laxus would get to see Flametard get handed his ass hard enough to make the compulsive fool learn the value of thinking things over before leaping into pitched battles.

"I am not sure I understand what you are implying, Captain." Heartfilia spoke in an even snider tone.

"Lahar meant what he said. It doesn't have anything to do with you, Heartfilia. Blondie's been adopted by team Mass Destruction sitting behind us. They will do everything in their power to get her back, and that's all that should matter to you. Fairy Tail takes care of their own because they like pretending that we're all one big happy family. Let them believe that if it gets a good result. I know they'll give one hundred and ten percent to get Blondie back safe and sound. Otherwise, I wouldn't have demanded that they come along for this mission." Laxus ground out between clenched teeth.

"Team Natsu was dissolved because of the amount of massive damage they cause whenever they work together. The fact that we need mages who are so destructive to deal with Oracion Seis should make you aware of how dangerous this foe is, Heartfilia Sama. If it was anyone other than a Balam Alliance cornerstone guild, who are looking for a very dangerous ancient artifact, I would never consider letting Team Natsu be reunited. Personally, I am a bit surprised Master Laxus has even considered using those three mages for this kind of delicate operation. Redfox at least make sense considering he was an s class when he was a Phantom Lord Mage."

"You said it yourself, Captain. Team Natsu is very destructive. If the Balam Alliance manages to get their hands on Nirvana, their destructive tendencies may be the only thing that can ruin Oracion Seis's plans. If we can't take the weapon away from the dark guild, Team Mass Destruction can and will destroy the fucking thing so innocent citizens don't get hurt." Laxus growled.

At least Blondie's greedy, and narcissistic parent was calming down as far as Laxus could determine by Jude's scent. The irritating, ongoing conversation between Jude, Lahar, and himself about Blondie's place in the Guild seemed to have stumped the businessman.

"So long as my daughter is not harmed, I will continue to do all I can to be of service to your guild, Master Laxus. However, I do hope that we can retrieve Lucy in good condition. Otherwise, it would be most unfortunate for her future. After all, Lucy is still a Heartfilia, and has her reputation to protect. Once you retrieve my daughter, I'll be certain the finest physicians in this nation oversee her recovery of course."

"Porlyusica is the finest healer in all of Fiore, and she'll be taking care of Blondie once we get her back. Your daughter has Magical Deprivation illness so regular doctors will be worthless to her. Blondie's my responsibility and my second in command. Nobody who can't deal with her magical depletion sickness effectively is getting within range of her once I get her back. As you've already been told, Fairy Tail takes care of our own. Your daughter is part of my guild, and she will get the best medical care that money can buy because it is my duty to make sure she's healthy. Porlyusica is the premier healer in this nation, and a semi-retired member of my guild." Laxus snapped with a hard stare at the pompous ass trying to take over.

"You fail to recognize that some injuries are worse than others, Master Laxus. In the event that my daughter has suffered such compromising damages, I will have to find her the right kind of medical professionals to insure she is healed fully."

"If you think for a minute that you're going to take Blondie to a hymen shop so you can sell her at a later date, you've got another think coming, Heartfilia. If those bastards have raped Blondie, there won't enough pieces of them left for the Magic Council to worry about storing when my team, following my lead, gets through with them. If the only thing you care about is whether or not Blondie's a virgin for you to make a profit off of her then there is something very wrong with your priorities as her parent!" Laxus snarled chest deep.

Despite wishing to be left alone in his silent misery, Laxus was forced to deal with the arrogant schmuck. Despite her current lack of tactical training, Lucy Heartfilia was powerful, even if it was only untempered, and far from polished power. At least Laxus could say that Blondie was valued for reasons outside of her obvious physical attributes. Yet Jude Heartfilia also brought up a subject that Laxus did not wish to entertain in the most uncomfortable way imaginable. For all his well known and accepted bad habits, rape was a subject that horrified Laxus for reasons he could not fathom himself. The idea of rape was so abhorrent that Laxus felt his guts twisting in knots that were far more disturbing than his motion sickness could generate. Having witnessed a few rape victims mental states when destroying Dark Guilds made it one of Laxus top rage feeders. Having seen women terrified and completely mad from the trauma, plus seeing the actual physical damage done to some of the girls he had rescued made Laxus think that only the greatest of all cowards were capable of doing such vile things to defenseless women. If such had happened to Blondie, Laxus would kill the Dark Guild members without fail. Ruining Blondie's mind would not be tolerated even if it meant going against the Magic Council's edicts to not kill. Executing rapists was all that such men deserved to get, and the more vicious and violent to remind them of their own actions, the better.

"Master Laxus, is everything alright?" Erza Scarlet was standing beside his seat looking ready to slay someone.

"Heartfilia seems to have a glaring lack of faith in his daughter and our guild, Titania. He's of the opinion Blondie will need a hymen shop to be salvageable as a member of his household when we get her back." Laxus growled as he stared at the other man.

"If anyone has compromised Lucy's honor, I'll make sure it is the last thing they will ever do. We will make certain Lucy knows we still love and cherish her as our family." Erza proclaimed in a stiff, livid tone.

Gray's ice make magic on the edge of going berserk was chilling the opulent car as he stopped beside Erza. "Nobody gets by with hurting Lucy. Nobody's good enough to even date Lucy far as I'm concerned. Unless someone proves their good enough for her, they can forget about touching her. I'll freeze them in a solid block of ice and let Ash Breath break them into little pieces if they try anything."

It did not escape Laxus' attention by way of his peripheral vision that Gray was glaring at him when he snarled the empty threat. Let the stripper try to do anything if Blondie chose to take him up on his offer, and Laxus would enjoy hitting Gray with enough lightning to make him twitch for a few hours.

Now that Jude understood how Fairy Tail mages viewed his daughter, the older man looked startled, even a touch afraid. "I am relieved to hear that my dear Lucy is in good hands. Not many would overlook unfortunate happenings after all. So I am only thinking of how to protect Lucy's honor if things have happened that are most unfortunate."

"Blondie's not a piece of ass to sell to the highest bidder, Heartfilia. She's my second in command because she has the education, and intelligence required to help run one of the toughest guilds in this nation. Fairy Tail has a long tradition of creating Wizard Saints. One of the current Guardians if Ishgar is a former Fairy Tail mage, and founder. Warrod is very much alive and overseeing the security of Fiore at all times. My own grandfather is also an active Wizard Saint. One of the Magic Council leaders is another Fairy Tail mage of great fame also. That tradition will not change now that the guild is under my watch! Lucy Heartfilia won't be turned out if she has been raped either! If anything, she will get through her pain with the help of her guild mates! Blondie is a valued member of my guild! I won't tolerate anyone treating her as anything less than the competent business woman and mage I damned well know her to be! Not even you, even if you are her father. Saying things the way you are makes it very obvious why Blondie left home and sought a guild that is willing to take her in and protect her to the best of our abilities. We will get her back, and if you don't shut the hell up right now, I'll make damned sure you never get within a mile of her ever again!"

Not that Laxus gave a damn about what the egotistical asshole thought of Fairy Tail, or his intentions toward Blondie, but Jude Heartfilia had crossed a line he should never have brought up at all. Laxus was enraged at facing such a perfect reminder of his own father's power madness and greed. Ivan Dreyer's insanity was reflected by Blondie's father so fully that Laxus no longer cared for the idea of keeping the ruthless businessman as an ally. Far as Laxus was concerned the egotistical businessman could rot in hell due to thinking Blondie was nothing but breeding stock for his empire's ongoing profits.

"Master Laxus, please contain your magic before someone gets hurt." Lahar squeaked as he began building a rune shield to try and deflect the crackling electricity that was spiraling around Laxus arms.

Lunging to his feet as sparks crackled on the air, Laxus felt his fury rising higher. "Fuck that, Lahar! You heard this asshole! No wonder Blondie's a fucking basket case! It seems Blondie's got a fucking asshole father that's worse than mine! At least my old man was ensorcelled to make him crazy! What the fuck's your excuse, Heartfilia?"

Gajeel stumbled in between Lahar and himself, looking ready to puke his guts up. "Get back, Captain Lahar. Master Laxus is losing his shit, and there's no way to stop him from zapping or knocking this suicidal dumb ass out after everything he's said. Doesn't matter if he shares blood with Bunny Girl or not any longer. You don't disrespect someone a Dragon Slayer respects because it isn't tolerated. Lucy's got the kind of spunk that Master Laxus approves of, and she's smart enough to impress him. Her father's done crossed every line that should never be crossed."

"If you dare lay a finger on me, I'll have your guild disbanded inside the week, Master Laxus! I will do what I must to protect my daughter's purity, and that you can be sure of because I am a member of the fifty families. I have the King's ear!"

"I don't give a fuck if you think you've got one of the Old Gods at your beck and call, Asshole! I'll teach you to never insult Lucy in front of me if it's the last thing I ever do! Fairy Tail isn't going anywhere while I'm in charge either!" Laxus roared at the trembling yet angry looking carrot topped man.

Lahar snapped, "Master Laxus has grounds to file charges against you after all I've heard coming out of your mouth during the last few minutes, Mr Heartfilia. I have already warned you that Miss Heartfilia has signed the waiver required to renounce her position as your heir which has been filed with the Magic Council, and sent to His Majesty also. She is of legal age to waive her legal rights to the Konzern, and fortune. You are going too far with your threats to send Miss Lucy to a hymen repair clinic which is illegal to do against her will at any rate! You need to sit down, and shut up before Laxus destroys you! Not even Gajeel Redfox, a previous S class mage of Phantom Lord can withstand Laxus Dreyer who has been a double S ranked mage since he was nineteen years old. If Master Laxus truly decides to defend Miss Heartfilia, I can't control him long even with my strongest rune spells! You will get seriously injured, Heartfilia Sama!"

One thing Jude seemed inclined to push on Laxus was a stupid expectation that his daughter was to stay pure so she could be married to someone capable of buying her virginity, and Laxus was not going to tolerate the man's snide comments any longer.

"Damned right I'll defend Blondie from this asshole's plans! I know the price that comes with this kind of out of control greed and power madness because I barely survived it as a kid. I won't let the same kind of shit happen to Blondie. My second in command is staying at Fairy Tail, and I don't give a damn what I have to do to make sure she's safe from your fucked up self absorbed plans! She's worht more than a few million jewels for her hymen asshole!" Lightning slashed around Jude Heartfilia's position, causing the opulent silk cushions to burst into flame.

As if Laxus cared one whit for what the pompous man seemed to believe he could do to Fairy Tail. Anger distorting his magic so that it lashed and writhed around his body, forcing his own guild members back as Laxus stared down the man who thought to torment Blondie further, his lightning sparks flashed outward and collided with Lahar's rune shield. Several strong jolts penetrated the shield and managed to strike Jude, dropping him like a stone in deep water.

The greedy man was not going to cause Blondie grief while Laxus was in charge of Fairy Tail. If Jude Heartfilia's money managed to buy some sort of punishment for Fairy Tail, he would learn how fast Fairy Tail Mages could retaliate by leveling everything in the Heartfilia Konzern beyond rebuilding.

In his own way, Laxus was making very clear to the bellicose man that Blondie would choose her own fate now that she belonged to his Fairy Tail. Laxus vowed to get Lucy Heartfilia to choose Fairy Tail over her rich father. Jude's obvious plans to sell her to the highest bidder would be the starting point for Laxus to make certain the obscenely innocent yet often sexy little blond remained under his watchful eye to prevent her from being taken by force. The nerve of the man to insinuate his own flesh and blood was only valuable if she had a maidenhead made Laxus far sicker than the train ride had managed.

From the looks on Erza and Gray's faces, they also seemed quite disgusted with Blondie's father. Part of Laxus mind was already thinking in terns of damage control to keep Heartfilia from getting by with his horrible and abusive plans. Worst case scenario, Laxus could do serious damage to Jude Heartfilia's reputation by pressing coercion charges with the Magic Council, and he had one of the best witnesses that anyone could hope for in Captain Lahar. The insinuation that Jude was willing to send his daughter to a hymen shop, and knowing that most of those had memory blocking mages on staff would no doubt prove effective in getting the man out of Fairy Tail's hair for good.

Sick as he was, Natsu crawled close enough to eat the flames that Laxus magic had sparked across the opulent over stuffed seats. The pink haired menace even looked marginally better after sucking in his element, despite the strong pea green tinge to his skin.

On the verge of exploding, Laxus did his best to ignore his idiotic guild mates and Lahar alike as a frightened steward entered the compartment to inform them that they were coming to their stop. Furious as he was, Laxus was scarce able to reign in his magic as he stomped to the door and grabbed the stabilizer bar. The moment that the terrified steward got the door open, Laxus stomped off the train.

"Get that asshole's bullshit plan forwarded to the Magic Council, Captain. I'll damned well press the charges to make sure Lucy Heartfilia's no longer threatened by that bullshit!" Laxus snarled while tossing Lahar his communication lacrima while watching as his fellow mages scurried closer, while staying out of his fury induced sparking range. Lahar was quick to comply before heading toward their destination.

Intent to get Blondie back, and return to the guild with Blondie in tow to make sure his grand sire did not get into any mischief, Laxus stomped in the direction that Lahar pointed out as their destination.


	25. Chapter 24

A/N: As always, I make no money from writing this story. Thanks to the newest faves, follows, and especially reviewers for taking the time to give me feedback. Sorry I took so long to update this tale, but my Plot Bunnies have been obscenely fixated on an unexpected new story line. Was startled to see that, by Legacy Story stats, this story has roughly 400 alerts, and around 300 faves/reviews the last time I checked. Loved several reviews I've received for Taming BTW. For the die hard LaLu shippers out there, no worries about Gajeel getting Lucy. Gajeel REALLY enjoys Laxus baiting, even if he gets handed his cute, long haired butt by going overboard. I also discovered that a C2 Community has added Taming to their community. So you have my sincere, belated thanks, Jaded Fairies.

CHAPTER 24

Were it plausible, Lucy would have ripped her own brains out from beneath her skull and skin to fling as far from her as her arms could manage. Anything to ease the stomach churning headache pounding in time to her heartbeat was what Lucy was willing to do for relief. Bone aches had become an equal nastiness to counterpoint the agonizing twinges within Lucy's skull. Molten lead and dry ice were burning through her veins as Lucy shuddered and huddled deeper within Laxus coat. Absence of thought processes surely would create an absence of ongoing agony. Wouldn't it?

The sounds of birds and other small scurrying wildlife assaulted Lucy's ears. The soft noises brought about as much pleasure as a grand stadium with perfect acoustics being packed with five year old musicians with out of tune classical instruments. The cacophony struck sensitive eardrums with all the enthusiasm of said children trying to play different symphonies without the benefits of sheet music, musical training, programs, or a conductor. Lucy found herself praying that she would lose consciousness again as she felt additional gentle rippling beneath her body that felt like she was getting beaten on one side. Yet the ripples signaled that her captors were still moving through the ancient forest.

The pain caused by any kind of light was so severe Lucy avoided it at all costs, even making sure her head was buried so deep within the soft fur of Laxus coat to make it impossible to get fresh air. A small rolling motion pushed her into another body, but Lucy managed to bite back a yelp. It was not as if Lucy could move on her own even if she wished.

When Cobra had unchained her ankle from the cave wall earlier, and picked her up, Lucy had been unable to prevent whimpers from escaping her lips. It was how Lucy had discovered her acute light sensitivity as she saw a strange man with black and white hair sitting on a magic carpet nearby. The red eyed mage had snorted as Lucy was dumped on the carpet, Laxus coat still wrapped around her body.

"Shouldn't the bimbo be doing better by now, Brain? What was the point of taking the kid if she can't cut it?" Lucy heard a male grumble.

"Even the Sky Maiden has limits to how much she can heal for the moment, Cobra. After all, she's still a young child. At least we aren't having to listen to screams of agony or witness convulsions. I'd say our dear Sky Maiden has done a fine job of containing our new weapon's rather acute case of Magic Deprivation sickness. Wouldn't you agree, Jellal Sama?" A deep bass voice spoke.

"Such a young child does not have enough stamina to reverse deep level magical deprivation sickness, but she is keeping the Phenomena alive, and as comfortable as possible." Another man responded, tone frigid.

A masculine snort reached Lucy's ears. "So how much longer until I can drop the brat? She wiggles too much even if you have a silence spell on her to keep her trap shut."

"We're here. I'll need to concentrate on breaking the seal. Make sure the Phenomena doesn't get blown off Midnight's carpet." A sharp, cold toned command from the left reminded Lucy of her predicament.

"Your precious bimbo ain't going nowhere. Cubellios, hold onto the pip squeak for me." Cobra's raspy voice reached Lucy's ears.

Were she capable of unrestricted thought, Lucy knew she would figure out a plan of retaliation faster. For the moment Lucy simply wished there was some portion within her being that was not in immense pain so her focus would not constantly waver from the task of finding an escape route.

Seeking to distract herself from feeling so wretched, Lucy paid attention to everything she was hearing in spite of the pain. Her mind continued to draw blanks whenever Lucy tried to string the possibilities of escape together. It was obvious that they were out of the cave, and Lucy had seen the magic carpet she was dumped onto earlier. The guy sitting on the stupid carpet looked as if he tended to sleep a lot, which might be useable. The problem began with whether or not Lucy could grit her teeth hard enough to handle the pain element she faced in forcing her eyes open, and her body into motion.

Complicating matter even more, Lucy needed to save another girl. She had no magic at all to call upon, nor her friends from the zodiac to help her because of having dropped her keys somewhere. Worst of all, Lucy still had the infernal magic blocking handcuffs on so she could not touch her magic even if she had any at her disposal.

Desperate for fresher air, Lucy kept her eyes clamped shut and forced herself to move her face out from beneath the silky fur of Laxus' coat. Even with her eyes closed tight, the brilliance striking her eyelids, turning her inner landscape bright red, made Lucy's throat unleash a soft whimper.

"How can Jellal be so certain this little bimbo's a Phenomena, Father? I mean, shouldn't she be an insanely powerful mage? Yet the little girl can't even move without squealing and waking me up because you told me to let her lay on my carpet." A new, higher pitched voice grumbled.

"The three phenomena powers are ruthlessly hunted by the Magic Council and exterminated. Hence the family practices of sealing the phenomena side, and teaching Celestial Magic to deflect detection from the Heavenly clan. Once her true power gets unsealed and put to use, I'm sure you'll be pleased enough to forget any momentary discomfort she's causing you, Midnight. Let's focus on getting Nirvana under our control. Once that's accomplished, we'll be one step closer to controlling the entire Balam Alliance."

"Tartarus ain't going to be easy to control, even if we do get control of this relic. They aren't called Demon Gates without reason." Cobra added.

"Nirvana can deal with Tartarus easy enough once it's fused with the R System through this girl's power. It was created by the neutral Phenomena clan so it will be strong enough to harness the Dark Clan's book shelf that Zeref left behind. The girl will do everything we need her to do after we add the necessary power to the tower's crystal matrix. Better yet, with this phenomena under our control, there won't be any light Guilds left much longer either." The deep voice that Lucy now knew to call Brain continued speaking.

To Lucy's ears, the deep voiced man sounded as if he enjoyed gloating. Somewhat adjusting to the brighter reddish hue of her lid covered eyes, Lucy continued to suck in fresh air. As her head cleared from the last tainted air that was fogging her senses, Lucy began panicking. Whomever they were, these dark mages believed she was something she was not. It infuriated Lucy to hear what they believed they could do with her. Far as Lucy knew there were no seals on her, and they had gone so far as to abduct a little girl that had no business being drug into a plot so repulsive. Lucy hated the knowledge that some group's petty desire to control all the dark guilds was endangering innocent children and herself.

The more Lucy considered that there was a young girl endangered by these fiends, the more her anger grew. Worst of all, Lucy had no idea where Laxus was, and that made her apprehensive. Since she had seen how powerful her perverted Guild Master was whenever he was angry, it meant these dark mages were terrifying. After all, Natsu could not beat Laxus on his own, and even Gajeel admitted that he was no match for Laxus either. Combined, the two Dragon Slayers barely held their own against Laxus. From what Lucy knew of her situation, this guild had separated her from Laxus. Which brought forth additional, unwelcome thoughts. If Laxus was a prisoner, what chance did Lucy have of getting free from these twisted fiends? How was she to save the little blue haired girl she vaguely recalled seeing?

The sudden din of groaning trees and rumbling earth caused Lucy to open her eyes. Pain lanced through bleary eyes, yet Lucy made out the little girl with long pig tails squirming inside the coils of the massive snake that hovered next to Cobra. The flash of magic suddenly expanded outward as a large dead tree rolled to side and crashed against the buckling landscape and bounced. Had the massive tree hit them, it would have crushed them Lucy thought in a daze. What kind of magic was this guild's sleep prone weirdo using that let him deflect such a massive old tree as if it weighed no more than a match stick?

Optimism, although anger induced, evaporated as several more massive dead trees toppled. Massive ear and mind shattering booms commenced, forcing Lucy to curl tight. Trying to get relief, Lucy's hands desperately covered her ears to lock out the deafening explosions and shrieks of shattering timbers. The reverberations from such large trees shattering and breaking upon the earth rivaled the loudest rolling thunder. Lucy knew the sound would have been deafening without the complication of magical deprivation sickness making all of her senses far sharper. Shudder after shudder roiled through Lucy as the din continued to lance through her abused skull. Somewhere in her deeper recesses, Lucy was vowing to never use so much magic as she did to save Loke ever again.

Without warning a hot palm slapped across Lucy's forehead. Her eyes snapped shut as Lucy tried to keep her stomach from roiling any harder. Almost before Lucy registered what was happening, a strange tingle was flowing through her. The tingle began easing the agony of dissonant sounds shredding her inner ears and setting her stomach to writhing.

"Now quit shrieking for fuck's sake!" Cobra's voice lashed out.

Trying to swallow fast rising fear, Lucy discovered her throat felt raw and her diaphragm ached. However, the added agony lancing through her skull, from the insanity of a forest being ripped out of the ground, was tapering off and becoming bearable.

"Good thinking. Thought she was going to rupture my eardrums. Still hoping she won't puke all over my carpet." The higher pitched voice leaning over Lucy complained.

A deep toned rumble that reminded Lucy of a growl filtered into her ears. "I like my eardrums. At least the damned things mostly of the ground so the ruckus is calming down."

Whatever it was that Cobra had done, Lucy found herself grateful. The fact he did it to spare his own eardrums did not matter to Lucy as she was better able to focus on what was happening. The fact the man was correct that the trees that were going to fall seemed to have already done so allowed Lucy to hear more, but the clogging dust and dirt from the upheaval kept Lucy gagging.

Shoving her nose and mouth back into Laxus coat did little to help with the grit invading her body. Closing her eyes only brought forth a lot of tears as her eyes tried to clear away the grit that had accumulated in seconds. Hacking up the ancient earth that was trying to infiltrate her lungs, Lucy wondered what was coming next.

The triumphant crowing of Brain filled Lucy with dread. "Ha ha! It's finally ours. Soon we will rule Fiore and any other land we want to claim as our own."

The cold voice that sent ice skittering down Lucy's spine responded. "Don't get cocky, Brain. We still have to get this monster to the tower. However, once we do a bit of renovating along the way, the Magic Council will be far more likely to fall into our trap. Until then, focus on getting Nirvana underway, and keep following the plan."

"We going to wait up for Angel, Hoteye, and Racer?" Cobra demanded as Lucy felt like she was being jolted again.

"Actually, they will be rendezvousing with us at the beach near Akane resort. Their job for now is to make sure that light guild alliance fails in their attempt to interfere with our objectives. Once we get settled in, put the Phenomena and the girl in one of the easiest to secure buildings, Cobra. Since you can hear thoughts, you're the best for the job of keeping these two under control."

"Che. Whatever. Suppose there are worse jobs than playing babysitter. Not like either one of these girls is a challenge for Cubellios, much less me when push comes to shove. Does this mean I have to feed them again since the blond threw up earlier?" Cobra was grumbling as the sound of feet pounding on something metallic hit Lucy's ear drums.

"So long as you don't poison them, it would be best to insure they are well fed. After all, the Sky Maiden and Miss Heartfilia need to be in peak health if our dream is to be realized. Alert us if they try to make any escape plans, but otherwise, treat them like honored guests, Cobra. Brain, Midnight and myself will be overseeing the operation of Nirvana in the meantime." The cold voice snapped.

"Whatever, Jellal. The only thing in the blond's head is how much she hurts. The little kid is scareed of her own shadow, so there's not much to hear out of either one of them."

"Don't get too relaxed in monitoring their thoughts, Cobra. A good strategist will use such a weakness against you in the future. No mater how much pain she's in, she may still have reserved strength capable of moving if she thinks she's got any chance of escape."

"Don't tell me how to do my babysitting, Jellal. I'm not about to let either one of them get loose. Cubellios and I have got them both under control. The one you can't leave these little weaklings with is Midnight since he'll fall asleep after a few minutes. Brain's the one who knows how to move this fucking thing so I already know he's out of the question, same as you." Anger laced Cobra's voice as he responded.

The sound of feet thudding on metal softened without warning and Lucy no longer felt she was being hauled upward. Midnight chuckled from beside Lucy as the carpet felt as if it was changing direction. "You sure hate Jellal, Cobra. I wonder why. We all grew up in the same hell hole. He's one of us, even if he chose to complete the Tower of Heaven instead of stay with Brain."

"Hate his looking down on the rest of us, Midnight. He's no better than we are, so I want to beat some sense into his fucking arrogant ass. Let's drop it before I go after him and do exactly that for making me babysit this broad and brat. Anyway, this looks like it will work for a temporary prison. It still has doors at least."

"Fine with me. Take the supplies while your at it. Not like I'm hungry, and Brain's going to be too busy getting this artifact moving to do any cooking."

Lucy lay still while she considered all she had heard. It made her uneasy that Cobra was monitoring her thoughts, and yet the man had not mentioned anything to his teammates of anything she had thought when it came to escape plans. It was a mystery to her, but Lucy could only assume that Cobra realized she was powerless so her current ponderings were of no value. On the hells of Lucy's determination of Cobra's reasons, she felt herself being lifted.

Almost as soon as Lucy felt herself dropped onto some kind of bedding, the whole world began to rock and rumble. Laxus coat was stripped from her for a couple minutes and all Lucy could do is curl into herself as the loss of warmth made her shiver. The dull jarring of a massive impact began to permeate Lucy's sore bones from beneath her back, forcing a whimper from her throat.

"Here. Got the extra dirt out of it." Lucy was startled enough to open her eyes when she felt Laxus' coat put back over her body and tucked in.

"Why are you being so nice to me? I'm not going to cooperate with this plan of yours you know." Lucy managed to grit out.

The purple haired man gave Lucy a long, considering look, and glanced over at Wendy who was watching him near Lucy's feet. "You've never been a fucking slave. I have. Trust me, better for you to use those smarts in your skull instead of pushing Brain or Jellal's buttons. They got no qualms about torturing people, and I don't want to have to watch that shit ever again. So do the smart thing for your own well being."

With those words, Cobra stood up and slammed out of the large room Lucy found herself in. Wendy shook her head when Lucy went to speak to her. Looking around the musty space, Lucy noticed that the massive snake remained behind as their guard. Since the snake was so attached to Cobra, Lucy figured it would be best to try and nap as Wendy lay down beside her, curling into a blanket Cobra had provided her.


	26. Chapter 25

A/N: Don't own Fairy Tail or make Money off writing this story. Thanks to all the newest faves, follows, and reviewers. I appreciate every review that I've received. Thanks everyone. Been a bit sick so had trouble getting this chapter written. Writing got bumped for a few days until I wasn't having so many problems with my vision, and right hand.

CHAPTER 25

Lahar stared up at Ichiya, even as the man's twisted laughter rang in his ears. Jura, like himself, was down, coughing up blood on the rich carpet runner of Guild Master Bob's palace floor. For unknown reasons Ichiya used his perfumes on them. Now, Lahar was on the floor trying to dredge up strength to fight back, and could only wheeze as his body and lungs burned. The disaster started with Ichiya asking a simple question of whether or not Jura was as strong as Makarov among the Wizard Saints. Jura's long winded response about Wizard Saint rankings had delayed the three of them. Worst of all, their various underlings had raced off to battle Oracion Seis.

So why had Ichiya attacked them? It did not compute to Lahar's rational mind. He could think of no reasons that Ichiya would act in such an unprecedented manner, especially toward himself, a representative of the Magic Council. What was Lahar missing that would explain this S class Mage's crazed behavior? Why would Ichiya head butt them both, dropping them to the carpet once the potion's magical scent took effect? Having seen the effects of this specific potion during incarcerations, Lahar knew that it could cause lasting damage to the victim's respiratory system if not reversed in time.

"Too bad one got away, Gemini. Oh well, I'm sure it won't matter since we'll take him down very soon." A woman's voice caught Lahar's flagging, blurry edged attention.

With a strange bubbling fizz of power, Ichiya vanished to be replaced by two blue dolls. "We're back, Piri Piri." The duo sang together.

"Gross thoughts is all that old man had to offer outside of the strategy, Master." One of the blue dolls began.

The other echoed the first. "All he thinks about is perverted things to do to everyone he sees! He's a horrible person."

"Yeah, yeah. Enough complaining, Gemini. I'm sure our enemies are getting worried about the dirty old man. He's fine, if indisposed at the moment. I copied him and know all your plans. It'll never work now that I know everything. My colleagues are already unraveling your interferance."

A smug look on the pale haired woman's face turned into a full blown smile as the two blue children spoke up. "When we copy somebody, we even read their minds."

"This is bad, Jura." Lahar wheezed out as he tried to find the strength to stand up and fight, only to have another fit of blood laden coughs erupt from his throat.

"A Magic Council Lackey. So what is the Council up to I wonder." The woman who had to be Angel spoke as she tapped her chin. "Gemini, please do the honors. I'm curious as to why a Rune Knight's here."

With a popping poof as the dolls touched Lahar, a perfect copy of himself was squatting before him, speaking in his own voice. "Memory access commencing. An informant has learned part of the plan and gave the information to Fairy Tail as Jellal and Brain were capturing Heartfilia. It seems that the Magic Counsel has ordered Lahar to set up this alliance with the intention of destroying the Mage who Brain and Jellal have taken to insure she cannot be used to fuse magic objects together. They are also intent upon Nirvana being destroyed along with Oracion Seis, and the Tower. As Blue Pegasus has a magical bomber, they believe it is the fastest way to kill the female Celestial Mage without revealing their hand in this matter. They intend to call her a casualty of war. The Chairman intends to remove all potential future problems of the Heartfilia Konzern's ongoing attempts to reclaim Lucy Heartfilia who abandoned and renounced her title. If she is dead, there can be no more loose ends to tie off. As things stand, Fairy Tail's new Master is intent upon pressing charges against Jude Heartfilia for intent to break Magical Law through mind wiping and coercion of Lucy Heartfilia. In truth, Heartfilia is their main target. With Nirvana and the Tower being relegated to secondary importance since the Magic Council Chairman believes Heartfilia is too dangerous to keep alive."

"And people say we're evil. If only they knew how sick and twisted the Magic Counsel really is." Angel murmured.

"Do you want to hear the rest of what the Council is planning for Fairy Tail; about the relic fused corpse girl, Master?"

"Of course, Gemini."

"A child named Hound s a major informant for black Steel Gajeel, Iron Dragon Slayer. Lahar was a witness to the relic surfacing through the corpse's skin. Seems the child was born a Seith mage, and there are many souls attached to the Scales of Justice, the relic's proper name. Like Nirvana, it was created by a Phenomena Clan, The Aether's Clan in fact. The Council intends to seize the corpse child to gain control over the relic."

"I imagine they will try to force Fairy Tail to give up the corpse. The Phenomena relics are obscenely powerful. Whomever controls the Phenomena relics in effect controls the world. I'm sure Brain and Jellal will prevent the Council from getting their way. The Council's trying to destroy that problematic Light Guild. We've got everything we need. Whether the stupid bimbo proves capable of fusing Nirvana's power with the Tower or not, looks like Cobra's going to have to keep an eye on her. Not that he'll mind since he seems to be developing a bit of a crush on the ditzy little bitch. Brain has better use for her since she's from such a powerful bloodline. Unsealing Nirvana will be easy once Brain fuses her with the power core. Returning to any light guild isn't an option for her, even if she escapes. It's a death sentence to flee now that the Council's decided to slaughter her."

With those words, Angel waved her spirits closer and they left the building.

Jura looked at Lahar with stark horror on his features. "You were going to make us kill a young woman for not good reason, Lahar Dono?"

Lahar rolled onto his back, struggling against the apathetic, leeching energy drain left behind because of Ichiya's perfume. "Not that I like this plan, but Chairman Gran Doma's orders have to be obeyed. Even if Lucy Heartfilia is innocent, the fact that her father owns the largest transportation network makes her a huge liability to the stability of our nation. If she can be used to merge powerful artifacts together as rumor implies, we have to get rid of her to prevent massive disaster from befalling Fiore. Even if we destroy Nirvana and the R system tower it seems we've missed, Heartfilia will remain a target for dark guilds because of the rumors. Gran Doma also has the difficulty of the Crown possibly being forced into taking sides. Heartfilia Konzern owns the vast majority of railway tracks and trains in this nation. If Jude Heartfilia chooses to get nasty he can shut down the bulk of our nation's trade routes, thereby holding the Royal family, and this nation hostage. Getting rid of Lucy, although she's simply a young foolish girl, seems the fastest way to prevent ongoing national crisis from happening."

Jura sat up, shaking his head several times. "I pity that innocent young lady, and this plan is not acceptable to myself as a Wizard Saint. My duty is to protect the young and all citizens of Fiore. I will protest this decision with all my might, Lahar Dono. The young woman renounced her claim, so her father has no right to break the laws by coercion through magic, or holding the nation's transportation system hostage. If he is arrested, the transportation system can be broken up by the Crown so that no one person can hold Fiore's trade or population for ransom. I think that Gran Doma is panicking without cause and that is a tragedy."

"Meeehhn! I could not agree more. Young Lucy has a lovely perfume, and it should not be extinguished without true, and justified evidence of her own wrong doing." Ichiya stumbled down the stairs, looking worse for wear. "Even Laxus Dreyer is willing to make great concessions for the young woman, or he would not be here fighting to insure her welfare. If young Lucy dies, that cold blooded man will become a force of darkness the likes we've not seen in our lifetime. Dreyer has power to rival any Wizard Saint, Lahar. I've seen him in action too often to be wrong about how powerful Master Laxus has become in a short time. If harm befalls Miss Lucy, you will have made an implacable enemy. All of Fairy Tail's mages will follow Master Laxus into the depths of hell to avenge Miss Lucy's death. She's an angel fallen from the stars, and you would do well to convince the Magic Counsel that harming her will have dangerous consequences."

"I would not blame Laxus Dono for seeking vengeance if Miss Lucy is killed over something as flimsy as a rumor. She seems to be a sweet young woman, and it is obvious Laxus Dono cares about her. Perhaps she is what he needs to bring genuine warmth back to his soul." Jura answered as he made it to his feet. "We need to hurry and rendezvous with our guild mates as the enemy knows our plans. We'll have to make a new strategy as we go, Ichiya Dono."

The short ginger haired mage nodded. "Yes of course. Good thing I had extra belts of perfumes and potions in my luggage."

As Lahar struggled to sit up, while coughing up more blood from irritated lungs, Ichiya popped the top off of a vial which he set on the floor nearby Lahar's head. "This will heal your lungs of the effects."

It was the last sentence Lahar heard as he lost consciousness.

~~oo0oo~~

Among the things Laxus most detested was Natsu's pig headed enthusiasm. Chasing the young fool was out of the question, so Laxus electrocuted the moron as Natsu raced off. Seeing as Lahar was distracted by Ichiya of Blue Pegasus, and Wizard Saint Jura of Lamia Scale, it was the perfect time to do some alternate planning with Laxus' guild mates. The only offered strategy seemed to rely too much on a Blue Pegasus's deadly bombing machine for Laxus' comfort.

Most of the team members for each Guild were following Natsu's stupid lead of racing toward the woods. Seeing the blind idiots dodge Natsu and continue running gave Laxus a bigger headache to handle after bringing the trouble maker down. Were there no intelligent mages sent for this joint guild alliance job? Or was this a symptom of Natsu's obscene level enthusiasm proving infectious? Laxus refused to discount the possibility of Natsu having some oddball magical disease that could infect people of similar power classes or lesser. The way each guild's members were racing to the forest spoke volumes of how stupid many of the mages from other guilds were also prone to act. Everyone had tossed out logical thought for competition's sake.

It seemed Natsu, like most of the other guild mages, was determined to go through life without paying attention to common sense, nor strategies, which made Laxus furious. At the rate Natsu was going, he could never qualify as an S class mage, and it showed. Brute strength was an asset, but only if there was a brain functioning behind said strength. Brains were necessary to prevent deadly mistakes that could get teammates killed. How Blondie and the others survived Natsu's thoughtless behavior was a growing mystery to Laxus. Perhaps it was dumb luck more than any other factor that kept Blondie alive so long.

Then again, Laxus was not particularly impressed with the makeshift plan tossed in his lap by the preening Blue Pegasus fools either, outside of their intelligence collection on Oracion Seis members. And even the intelligence gathering left more questions than answers, but had provided faces for Laxus to seek out and destroy. Laxus was adamant to insure that all members of Oracion Seis understood that they had asked for the broken bones and burned out nervous system they were going to receive.

Considering that it seemed to have escaped the other guilds' notice that Oracion Seis had at least one hostage, the fools had decided to bomb the dark guild out of existence. Furious, Laxus had berated the fools over deciding to kill a member of his guild, which had garnered a few minor adjustments to the initial battle strategy. The plan remained a means to make Blue Pegasus look superior to Fairy Tail far as Laxus could see. The lack of countermeasures would become a problem if they did manage to get Blondie back at this point. However, fixable problems could be prevented from arising with a bit of forethought.

Hoisting the twitching Natsu onto his shoulder, Laxus called the rest of his guild mates back from the impromptu mixed guild foot race while formulating a counter strategy. Walking at a fast clip, Laxus watched as the various guild groups continue their reckless dash toward the forest, in knots of segregated guild members. Getting Blondie back would fail if she got destroyed because of Lahar's possible back stabbing through omission. Or was it the full Council's backstabbing that was in play? Laxus could not rule out either option as he headed toward the bluff.

Stopping to dump Natsu, who was coming around, Laxus kept his voice quiet as he spoke to his team. "We're going to handle this ourselves. I don't know if it was Lahar, or the Council's failure to mention the hostage situation that's at play here. The lack of mentioning hostages implies compromised mission dynamics that are not acceptable. I want everyone ready to counter any deadly force that could kill Blondie, even if it means attacking the other guild members to protect our own. Our goal is to mete out punishment and get Blondie back as fast as possible, but it is going to require cooperation from all of us to make it happen."

"Agreed, Master Laxus. Nobody takes my sister and gets out of it without a lot of broken bones. I am also quite disturbed by the lack of information about Lucy being taken as a hostage." Titania snarled.

"Gihi. We're going in hard, and at full speed I way to catch those bastards off guard." Gajeel's lips were drawn back in a feral smirk that looked more like a predator's snarl than a human expression somehow.

"No, Scrap Metal, we're going in by using those reckless nimrods from the other guilds as a distraction. Let them draw off the extra troops so we can do maximum damage to the assholes who dared kidnap Blondie. I know about the Balam Alliance's main divisions, if not every dark guild name that falls under one of the three major powers. Oracion Seis runs a rather larger percentage of the Dark Guilds we get requests to destroy. Groups like Eisenwald, Naked Mummy, Dark Unicorn, Ghoul Spirit, and close to one hundred additional dark guilds are under direct control of Oracion Seis members. They aren't called the Six Demons without a reason, people. So we need to expect to run into Oracion Seis' lesser dark guild lackeys every where we turn. The fact Blue Pegasus, and the Council have not factored in that likelihood is going to cause big trouble for all the mages brought here for this sting operation. It can also make it far easier for us to extract Blondie if we use the other guilds to our advantage."

"You think Oracion Seis called in their lesser guilds?" Erza asked as she smacked Natsu's head, and grabbed his shoulder when he stood up, giving every indication of getting ready to run off.

"They didn't become part of the top tier maintaining the non aggression pact of the Balam Alliance by being stupid, Erza. This ancient forest is massive, so it makes sense to bring in a couple guilds worth of man power to dig around and find the ancient artifact." Laxus growled.

Gray heaved a sigh. "So how are we going to get Lucy back if we get stuck fighting dark guilds?"

"Good question, Ice Prick. One thing everyone needs to do is expect a lot of resistance as we search for Blondie." Laxus cautioned. "My thought is that we need Natsu's nose to help find her since he's always all over her, and is a damned bloodhound. Should know her scent as well as he knows his own smell by now. So you're staying with me, Flame Brain. No racing off, and getting yourself, or Blondie killed, by jumping into a bad situation. We can determine the best sector to do a zig zag cross over formation in groups while staying close enough together that we can back each other up as we do our search. In that way we can appear to be cooperating with this Light Guild Alliance farce, and find wherever they've got Blondie held captive faster. A shout will alert the next team over that there's trouble. Converging and doing a fast beat down before word can spread back the bosses is vital to retrieving Blondie unharmed. Titania, I'm trusting you to move as a solo mage for the moment. Don't get cocky or engage the enemy if you can avoid it. Stealth is our best weapon in this situation."

"I'm all fired up! Lets get going, Laxus!" Natsu yanked out of Erza's iron hold and tried to race forward only to be grabbed by the scarf and pulled back by Laxus.

"You will stay with me and keep your shit together for Lucy's safety, Idiot. No yelling, or magic releases without my say so!" Laxus growled while glaring at the impetuous young Slayer. "Seis has a habit of killing hostages once they are found out. Do you want Blondie killed?"

"No. We've got to find her fast so we can save her. She's my best friend and Nakama stick together." Natsu whined.  
"Then we do this job with smarts to insure that we don't give ourselves away, and that we can mop up the lesser guilds that most likely are out here helping search for the Nirvana artifact, Dumb Ass. Use your brain for once in your lifetime, instead of flying headlong into a fight! Your supposed best friend's life is on the line, so prove to me you can put her welfare first. Otherwise you can shut up about Nakama being important to you because they aren't important enough for you to choose to curb your love of fighting."

"Master's got a point, Flame Thrower. We got to be smart and silent moving or Bunny Girl could get butchered before we locate her. I know Bunny's scent as well as Ash Brains so I can help with tracking, Master. How wide do you want our search pattern to be before we make our path crossings for updates and info shares?" Gajeel asked as he planted a hand on Gray's shoulder.

Pulling a packet from his coat pocket, Laxus began unfolding a map of the nation. Tapping the northern sector of the map and muttering a couple words Laxus brought the Worth Woodsea region into sharp relief. Unhappy with the level of detail, Laxus handed the map to Erza who held it open, as Laxus poked different sectors and spread his fingers until he found the bluff behind them. With his fingers Laxus tugged the map around until he found something of real interest, the remains of two abandoned ruins.

"Looks like there used to be a couple settlements out here. My guess is that the Seis could use any halfway inhabitable buildings for their operation base camp, and by the number of buildings I'm seeing, they could house a couple of guilds worth of underlings with minimum repairs needed. The distance between the two ruins makes it easy enough to split forces between the two towns."

"You always carry an enchanted map, Laxus?" Gray asked as he peeked over Laxus arm.

"It's Master to you, Knucklehead. Of course I keep a map on me for missions. It's easier to build a strategy that works if you know the terrain, Ice Prick. Freed also carries a map like this one on every mission the Thunder Tribe takes." Laxus snapped.

"A wise precaution, Master. Which direction will we be heading to reach the ruins?" Erza asked as she let the map slide lower to peak over the top.

With a quick mutter of "find the paths", Laxus watched as the map created a viable pathway to the two ruins from the bluff in long dashes. "From the bluff, we'll have to make our main focus this settlement first. It has running water so is the prime choice for a temporary headquarters. I'm thinking we should mark our trails since it is going to be dark under that ancient tree canopy. Head back toward the center of the trail as marked on this map every sixty trees you pass. Stay in shouting distance if you can, which means stop going at angles once you have trouble keeping visual contact on me."

The sound of shrieks overlaying an explosion whipped the Fairy Tail members' heads toward the bluff. The weird looking designed timbers of a hollow horse head and various pieces of the air machine were raining down into the woods below. A wing was shattered, flying apart, the head breaking off, as the machine's main body dove straight into the Woodsea.

"Looks like they're already onto us, Master Laxus." Gajeel grumbled from the left.

"So it would seem. Looks like we have company, everyone. Stay on guard, and don't get cocky so we can take this trio out fast." Laxus snapped as he grabbed and tucked the map into his coat.

The group kept pace with Laxus as he headed toward the trio of newcomers who were staring down the other guilds. One was a scantily clad woman in a risque feather dress who had two little blue doll people walking in front of her. Another was a massive man with a face that looked as if it was carved from stone, while the third was a man wearing gear straight from the vehicle racing industry. Angel, Hot Eye, a name Laxus recognized, and Racer were the trio of mages that Laxus was facing. Rage flashed into focus as Laxus stared at one of the mages who helped steal Blondie from him. Static began to crackle and take form around Laxus body as he closed on the enemy.

"Hot Eye turns earth into quicksand and can make it act like water, people. Be alert and try to stay out of his traps." Laxus bellowed even as the two Lamia Scale mages were attacked by Hot Eye's magic.

With a soft curse, Laxus lunged forward, hoping to bring the mammoth sized mage to heel before he could turn his focus upon the rest of his guild members. As they closed on the group, multiple other attacks were getting unleashed upon the light alliance mages. It did not take long for Laxus to realize the problem. Racer's magic was also familiar. A fury induced smirk grew as Laxus began hurling powerful lightning spells, hoping that Blondie was still alive as Fairy Tail engaged the three ruthless mages who had chosen to bring a miniature war to their ranks.


	27. Chapter 27

A/N: As always I don't make a penny off writing this story as cannon elements belong to Hiro Mashima and various companies. Sorry this took so long. Even I have periods where the plot bunnies go into hibernation thanks to real world obligations diverting my attention. FFnet is finally working again for the review sector. Thanks going out to everyone who continues to read, review, follow, and fave this story, plus myself.

CHAPTER 26

Jerking into motion, Laxus changed into lightning body, intent to repay Hot Eyes for the previous defeat suffered while his guild mates followed him into the fray. The lightweight pocket lined jacket Laxus was wearing to store his valuables fluttered to the ground in the wake of Laxus' charge. Not having time to return to grab the apparel, Laxus unleashed several strings of mental curses over how his coat would not have fallen off.

Natsu's childish voice shrieked, "Thanks for saving us time looking for you! I'm all fired up to kick your asses, and get Luce back!"

The racing-suit wearing member lunged toward Natsu and Gray bellowing "Motor." The mohawk sporting man seemed to vanish from Laxus' sight. Speed magic was Laxus first impression of the second pain in the ass he had fought and lost to once. The same thing would not happen again Laxus vowed in his mind, tightening his control over his own magic's output to wring maximum efficiency from his power.

The silly woman with Lamia Scale kept spouting stupid things about Love as Natsu, and Gray yelped in pain. The speed mage was already dealing damage to the pair of idiots from the defunct team Mass Destruction which was fine as far as Laxus was concerned. Let the duo learn the hard way that controlling their magic output, and using their brains for something more than battering rams equaled less damage taken.

Ignoring the hot headed duo, Laxus watched as the boulder faced mage drew two fingers in front of his glowing eyes. The earth was buckling and flowing with the Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus mages getting lifted, thrown off their feet, and swamped by fluid earth as Hot Eye's vision glowed red. The group of mages got trapped so fast in a mire of earth that the remaining Blue Pegasus member, not immobilized in solidified dirt, was reeling backward in search of stable ground. Prior experience with this nasty branch of magic told Laxus that the little blond kid was not going to have much luck evading the swirling earth that was seeking to drag him down.

"With money, love is not needed. Money is everything because it grants a person greater strength than you understand." Hot Eyes mocked the Lamia Scale broad. The red haired man was shifting his focus to make long tentacles of earth slide around his body as a fast moving barrier before Laxus got close enough to land a blow.

Laxus could hear Erza's blades clashing against steel, but refused to check how many Oracion Seis backup guild members were circling around their rag tag group of light mages. It would be pointless when the other two Guilds' members were already trapped. Taking out Hot Eyes was more important at the moment. It was likely the fastest way to undo the solid earth trap the two ill prepared guilds fell prey to so fast. Unless Laxus could get the others free, his own guild members would be too exhausted to be effective for long.

_'Where are Lahar and the others? We could really use those two S class mages about now!' _ Laxus thought as his ire grew.

Laxus pulled out one of his stronger lightning attacks, beginning the incantation in a soft focused voice. "Resounding through the air, the roar of thunder, plunge from the heavens and reap destruction!"

A pained bellow from Gajeel joined Erza's spell casting telekinesis phrases and ringing steel cacophony of sounds. Hearing an unfamiliar spell getting unleashed gave Laxus reason to believe that Racer was wreaking havoc on Gray and Natsu yet again. Whatever "Gear Change Red Zone" did, it was obvious by the sounds of familiar voices raised in pain that the attack was a success.

Flashing between Hot Eye's fast moving earth projectiles to solidify in the enemy's face, Laxus completed the spell as his fist slashed downward, slapping Hot Eye in the top of his head a split second before the flowing earth could bock contact. "Raging Bolt."

Bulbous blue striated gold lightning slashed downward in a bubble form. Hot Eye staggered under the physical blow Laxus delivered to his crown as the electricity hurtled toward the target. All the electricity in the vicinity was sucked into the fast spiraling spell locked onto the red head's body. A cocoon of earth was wrapping around the large man, trapping Laxus hand in the process. However the earthen shield was not fast enough to fully encase Hot Eyes as Laxus' lightning spell ripped into the gathering ground magic. The electricity shrapneled part of the shell, while the rest of the dirt continued to flow and bend as if parting like a curtain. As earth was tossed about, Laxus was able to retrieve his hand from the crushing grip of liquid earth.

Hot Eyes staggered and twitched, yet remained standing thanks to the earth shell half encasing his body. Singed and having been jolted hard enough to short circuit some of his fine motor skills, Hot Eyes still managed to slam a section of the shell like earth tentacles into Laxus' stomach, hurling him away from the red haired earth mage. Irritation flared in Laxus' gut as he skidded back, hurling numerous lightning pellets at the enemy while digging his feet into the ground deep enough to stop sliding.

The fact that the earth mage was standing, plus managed a counter strike before recovering, despite suffering under such a high voltage lightning blast, was a testament to how tough an opponent the Oracion Seis member was. Gajeel had also survived Laxus' Raging Bolt, but had needed time to get back on his feet after tasting that particular spell up close and personal. Although Laxus was not fond of the other S class mage, he knew how tough his fellow Slayers were overall. It made sense that Gajeel recovered after an hour from the same spell, but it was unacceptable that this Dark Guild mage was still standing, plus countering an attack that put Gajeel down.

Wobbly and twitchy did not matter if the Earth Mage was still able to counter attack while enduring the pain of being fried. It only took three consecutive Raging Bolts to take down a mature wyvern for good. However, the boulder faced mage was still standing, plus countering Laxus fast flashing attacks. With the new swirling formation of Hot Eye's earth magic, it would be next to impossible to nail the red head with a second Raging Bolt. The fluid state of Hot Eye's earth magic was proving difficult to overcome.

Few mages ever gave Laxus any real work outs, but this one was proving to be the rare exception. It was a bit of a shock that one mage was countering Laxus' power without back up. Groups of mages caused problems, not single one on one combatants. Singling out a single mage always brought rapid results. Yet the proof that Laxus was up against an opponent capable of standing up to Lightning Magic was in the eyes of the man glaring right back, hand gripping some hard bound book against his burly torso.

Another wave of his hand, and Hot Eyes was shooting lances of sand at Laxus chest. Even as the bulk of the ground shifted into lances, other portions rippled and flowed into a new egg shaped partial sphere that seemed better prepared for a ranged lightning attack.

With a tsk of anger, Laxus shifted into his element. Hurling himself upward and between the lances to get closer to his opponent, Laxus called upon the power of another stronger spell. Instead of being able to target Hot Eyes, Laxus found himself unleashing the magical build up to shatter the lances that got ahead of him. Hot Eye's liquid earth was fast enough that several lances shifted and slammed into his body, trying to encase him in jaws of crushing earth.

Fury exploded as Laxus unleashed his Dragon Slayer abilities while zig-zagging between Hot Eye's tentacle like attacks. Unable to stabilize his body on the ground, Laxus countered with a Dragon's roar. The extreme electrical discharge ripped through Hot Eyes ongoing attacks. A smirk twisted Laxus lips as the defensive shell Hot Eyes erected shredded, clods of sod flying in all directions. Not satisfied that Hot Eyes was rendered unable to retaliate, Laxus landed, already building a Lightning Dragon's Breakdown Fist as his feet touched the ground.

Twisting and launching the attack before Hot Eyes could recover, Laxus watched as the ground around the other mag slumped to a stand still, the red head's eyes glazing over as he dropped over the edge of his shattered barrier. One down, and more enemies to go.

Out of the corner of his eye, Laxus saw motion. Whirling with his arms raising, Laxus was hit hard. The impact was hard enough to make Laxus stumble. Not many people remained on their feet. Among the light guild members, Erza, and Gajeel were the only mages still fighting outside of Laxus. Erza and Gajeel were facing off with a replica of Erza who seemed able to use Erza's own weapons against her. The clone was difficult for Gajeel to target as she appeared to be a perfect replica. Not a good sign when it forced both Fairy Tail mages to curb their full strength in order to not do extreme damage to each other while trying to take out the clone.

Only the S class mages had the strength to withstand the savage attacks. Oracion Seis still had two mages in action, and Laxus found himself glaring at the mage called Racer. A feather dress wearing woman was standing off to the side, toying with keys that reminded Laxus of Lucy. Anger surging, Laxus hurled a blast at the woman on the side lines even as he charged toward his other nemesis intent upon hitting the man with a Roaring Thunder attack. A shriek told Laxus that his lightning had hit the woman on the sidelines, even as Racer swore, and dodged.

Hearing a ragged thanks from Erza, Laxus kept his focus on the fast moving speed mage while bellowing, "Stay focused! This fight isn't over yet!"

"Got it, Boss. I'm locking the downed enemies up right now." Gajeel's gravelly voice followed.

Sensing that the tables had turned, Racer leapt high into the air, arm lifting as he shouted "High Side Rush" followed by "Dead Grand Prix." The first sent a flurry of tires speeding at Laxus, Erza and Gajeel forcing them all into defensive motions.

Several motorcycles popped into sight, Racer landing in the saddle of one and gunning the engine. A cloud of dust kicked up beneath the racing bike's tires as the last member of Oracion Seis fled the scene while directing the other five bikes to race around Laxus and his teammates. Motor magic was a rarity, and it was another annoying power that Laxus detested.

Feeling winded, and knowing that he had to help lock up the two members they had managed to beat, Laxus turned back toward the other mages who were still trying to get free of the traps that has ensnared their bodies. Erza was cuffing the feather dress wearing woman that Laxus had hit with a lightning blast. A smug smile crossed the red head's features as she held up something to inspect.

"What's your status, Erza?" Laxus demanded as he looked at Gray and Natsu who were both groaning on the ground.

"Aside from some injuries that need to be bound, I'm quite well, Master Laxus. In fact, I have a gift for Lucy when we get her back. This evil mage is a Celestial Spirit Mage. I'm sure Lucy will be very pleased to have new spirits to add to her family. No doubt these spirits will be quite pleased to be free of this horrible woman."

Laxus grunted as his eyes settled on Gajeel who was helping dig the Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale mages out of the earth. The long haired Slayer had turned his hands into shovels to speed the process of digging out the most trapped mages. Satisfied that their allies were getting aide, Laxus shifted his attention to the full battle field to see if any other dark mages were present without finding anyone who was not allied with Fairy tail.

From the corner of his eye, Laxus noticed motion so shifted his attention toward the back trail. Calling on his magic reserves to intercept any attacks, Laxus spun on heel. A badly injured Jura and Ichiya were headed toward their location, looking almost as battered as Erza, Natsu, and Gray all three. Knowing the two mages were an S class and Double S rank respectively, Laxus found himself startled over the damage the pair had taken. Even more proof that Oracion Seis were monsters in their own right was driven home by the return of the other mages. The only one missing seemed to be Lahar. Part of Laxus was pleased by that development, even as he was uneasy as to what it might mean for Fairy Tail's near future.

"Took you two long enough to get here." Laxus greeted the pair.

"We ran into a problem. Seems you've got the woman under control that caused the problem in custody." Ichiya spoke.

With a nod of agreement, Jura invoked his magic and shifted the earth to free the last of the imprisoned mages. "Indeed. Her ability to copy people and learn their secrets is rather unsettling, but also useful."

Seeing that Erza had gotten Hot Eyes into magic restraining cuffs she had pulled out of her requip stores, Laxus focused on what Jura was saying as the large mage and Gajeel helped the rest of the light guild members to their feet.

"How so?" Erza asked as she hauled the unconscious earth mage closer.

Ichiya sighed as he uncorked a vial. The perfume unleashed eased everyone's aches and pains. "She has a pair of odd little beings that transformed into Lahar. The Magic Council did not inform us of your member's captivity because they want her dead. It isn't right, Meeehhn. Since the double used my perfumes to hurt Lahar, I had to give him the antidote, but I did not share the secondary perfume that would allow him to follow us and prevent us from saving the young lady."

"Why am I not fucking surprised that the Council's gunning for Blondie?" Laxus growled as he met the eyes of Team Natsu, or Mass Destruction as he preferred to call the trio of Mages.

"I don't understand why the Council would wish Lucy any harm." Erza pointed out as she placed her hands on her hips.

Jura spoke as he folded his arms over his chest. "It seems the young woman's father is a problem that the Magic Council seeks to nullify by insuring the young woman is no longer alive to pursue. Something about how her father could hold the nation hostage through the transportation systems of our nation."

"I don't understand why they would do that! Luce told everyone she isn't interested in her family's money." Natsu snapped.

Anger surged in Laxus' gut over how ignorant the Flame Dragon Slayer was overall. "Shut it, Flame Brain. It makes perfect sense that Blondie's being targeted if you add the politics to the picture. Same as I've been targeted all my life because of who my old man is. Blondie's been drug into a mess because of her father, same as me. Looks like I'm going to have to use the blackmail letters sent to Jiji the way Blondie suggested a lot sooner than I expected."

Erza and the other mages turned to look at Laxus as Gajeel began chortling in a soft voice. "What are you talking about, Master Laxus?"

"Simple, Erza. One of the reasons I had to do what I've done to gain control over the guild to save it from being shut down is to find a means to put an end to the Council blackmailing my grandfather. They've been threatening my whole family for a while. If they are able to control Jiji through blackmail, obviously they could be controlling other Wizard Saints as well. The Royal family needs to get the papers that prove something's going on inside the Magic Council that shouldn't be happening. The Council is overstepping their boundaries and that could spell disaster for a lot of people in the future."

"So lets go kick their asses and put a stop to it, Laxus!" Natsu interjected with a big grin.

Gajeel smacked Natsu upside the head. "Don't be stupid, Salamander. Attacking the Council will destroy our Guild. We gotta do things the smart way or all of us will be locked up for a real long time. Bunny Girl figured out how to stop what's going on, and that's why we gotta get her back."

Ichiya was nodding and put on a silly pose as he spoke. "Of course we will give you all the aide we can to help preserve the delightful perfume of the damsel in distress."

Laxus felt his brow twitching as he picked up his backup jacket and fished out a portable voice only lacrima from his pocket. Adding his magic, Laxus barked a single word. "Freed."

It took a couple moments for the green haired mage to answer. "Hello?"

"We're setting things in motion. Dig out the package and follow Blondie's instructions to the letter, Freed."

A startled gasp entered Laxus ears before Freed's voice followed. "What's happened, Master Laxus?"

"The Council's targeting Blondie to execute as well as me and Jiji. So get that package delivered. I'm counting on you and Bickslow to get it done as soon as possible. Don't trust anyone else with this mission."

"Understood, Master Laxus." On the heels of Freed's answer the ground began to shake, ripping a curse from Laxus lips. "What's wrong, Laxus Sama?"

"We're about to get busy again. Suffice it to say that Lahar and the Magic Council have proven they aren't on our side so get that package delivered while I handle the situation here." Laxus barked and shut down his communication lacrima.

Looking out at the forest, Laxus saw a large blast of black and white energy rising toward the sky in a steady stream of insane pressurized magic. Jura stepped up beside Laxus as he looked at the massive explosion of power flowing into the sky. "Looks like we're too late to prevent them from finding the magic and unsealing it. We've got to hurry before they escape."

"Let's get moving then. Expect there to be underlings everywhere." Laxus answered even as he headed toward the trail his map had revealed earlier. At least their group of mages would have an easier time getting to their destination since the magic was providing the, an obscenely bright beacon. Under his breath, Laxus muttered, "Hang on, Blondie. I'm coming for you."


	28. Chapter 28

A/N: Don't make money off this story because the copyright is Mashima's. Finding my bunnies are bouncing about the triad of stories I am posting, but refusing to fall into any routine which messes up order of posting. Thanks as always for every review, fave, and follow. Glad people are sticking with this alternative universe where Laxus has yet to purify himself with Fairy Law so is on and off losing his ever loving, egotistical mind. Lots of thunderstorms lately. Good thing I love storms, even if the power gets knocked out.

CHAPTER 27

Staring out over the black and white banded energy roaring into the sky as it encircled the awakening Nirvana, Cobra had nothing to do but ignore the rising bile in his throat. With time on his hands, Cobra, or Erik as he thought of himself, found his mind shifting to the prisoners inside the ruin. It was better than contemplating the massive machine rising out of the ground. Nobody had told Erik that Nirvana was going to be a robot of sorts, but it was too late to protest being stuck on the contraption now that it was ripping itself out of the ground. So in an attempt to ignore the fast rising nausea, Erik thought about the prisoners inside one of the sturdier buildings with his snake.

The blond's gritty defiance, despite being half dead, was as impressive as her hot young body in Erik's opinion. Despite the fact that Brain said the teenaged woman was the Phenomena needed for their plans, Erik found himself dissatisfied with that answer. Mainly, Erik had doubts about Brain and Jellal's sources after guarding the young woman over forty eight hours. Nothing in Lucy Heartfilia's mind gave any evidence she knew of such a power. Ignorance was no excuse because all magic revealed itself in subtle ways. Yet Erik had found nothing to prove the sick woman had a drop of any fantastic power that would condemn her among the greatest enemies of the magical world.

Granted Erik could not rule out the very real power differences likely to exist between Angel and this new Celestial mage. The dratted spitfire had clear memories of doing things that Angel could not handle. If Angel realized what their prisoner could do, she would lose her shit in a heartbeat. At least that was Erik's belief. The younger woman would be quite an asset to Seis even if she was not a phenomena. With a bit of time to convince Lucy that it was in her best interests to stay with them, Erik had no doubts that the unhappy spitfire would earn her place fast. Few people had such a brilliant mind, and it was the woman's smarts that would take her far once she learned how to truly harness her intellect. Perhaps Brain would listen if he spoke about the opinion he was evolving due to being the little Spitfire's jailor. It would not hurt to give it a shot Erik figured. On occasion, Brain proved quite amiable to input, so long as it insured that Seis got stronger.

Considering the layers of her mind that Erik had already delved into while Lucy's internal shields were on the fritz, he had no doubts that the younger woman would be able to decode that book Brain had given Sorano. The frustration Angel was experiencing in trying to translate the old book had her getting on Erik's nerves. It might be possible to shut the whining thoughts of his guild mate up, while proving his hunch about the blond was correct.

Then again Brain would probably object if Erik loaned Spitfire such a book to translate unless he cleared it first. Granted the new girl was quite naive overall, but Erik had the feeling that Lucy was anything but stupid. The younger woman lacked experience and real training, but Erik found himself believing the younger woman would be a very valuable asset given the right impetus to stay with their guild. The sooner Erik spoke to Brain the better he thought while searching out Midnight's magic signature

If anything, Lucy Heartfilia thought them stupid for abducting her. The spitfire did not believe herself anything special. From what Erik could determine of her memories he had been digging through against her will, Lucy had no idea as to what her magic could do; outside of feeding her spirits power. According to her memories, Lucy never got any in depth training in her magic after her mother's death, which explained a lot of the problem with how she viewed herself. 'Lucky' Lucy Heartfilia was quite confused over how anyone, outside of her greedy, icy cold father, could think her valuable. Seems her daddy made sure the little Spitfire only saw herself as a sell-able brood mare. From everything Erik's mind had been battered by, compliments of Heartfilia's memories over a day and a half, Lucy had her own painful childhood to overcome. Although it lacked the physical brutality that the Seis members had endured, Erik knew the little spitfire had equal experience with a very different form of constant pain.

The teenager's naive belief in her lack of worth was far from true because Erik was able to determine her overlooked strengths as revealed through her soul song, and snippets of thoughts that leaked from her battered mind. Considering what a little spitfire the woman was with every clash of wills they had since her first wake up, Erik was beginning to think Lucy Heartfilia was indeed special. Erik was impressed by the spunk and guts the teenaged woman was displaying with regards to her current pain tolerance. Hence the nickname Erik found himself giving the little lady. To Erik, Lucy was formidable in the will power department to be certain. She had a fiery spirit that nobody could match as far as Erik could tell. If Lucy ever learned a fraction of what Seis knew that her magic could do, she would make Angel look incompetent, and that was saying something.

The thing Erik found most intriguing about the young heiress was the protectiveness she felt toward her spirit keys that Angel had sought to take. The white hot determination to save her spirit family gave the young woman a temporary surge of power, allowing her to unleash a savage single attack that threw Hot Eye and Angel both off balance long enough for one of the girl's spirits to escape with her. The surge of impossible strength hurled at her enemies to save tools she genuinely thought of as her family continued slithering through Erik's thoughts. Nowhere had Erik detected any intention of seeking to escape her situation when Spitfire attacked his guild mates. The only thought in the woman's head was protecting her spirits from harm. Somehow her weapons responded to Heartfilia's emotion driven fury, coming out of their realm to attack them.

Spirits showing up without any magic left to open their gates at all, was another thing that inclined Erik to rethink the Spitfire's opinion of herself. To see the beautiful girl hurl herself against two members of Oracion Seis with only the thought of protecting her family inside her jumbled and complicated little head had been shocking to say the least. Yet it was the fact her spirits who should have been confined to their own realm because o fher obvious magical deprivation that had Erik reevaluating the little spit fire female's potential. Perhaps Brain and Jellal were right about her being a phenomena power. Yet, if that was the case, why had none of them felt any magic from her?

As Erik was a second generation Slayer, he was the one who got stuck tracking down the dratted woman. The fact her spirit got her so far away, and with the Sky Maiden in tow, was something that had infuriated Brain enough that everyone present had glimpsed Zero trying to awaken. Keeping Zero from taking control had taxed all their magics, but on Brain's command, they did manage to keep their preferred leader in charge. No doubt that Zero would have slaughtered the sexy little blond girl for daring cause so much trouble in the first place. Never mind that she was supposed to be the power source to create the ultimate weapon needed to rule the world.

Every time she awoke since then, Erik noticed that Lucy immediately worried about her spirits safety, ignoring her own dangerous position. To Lucy Heartfilia, her spirits welfare was always on her mind; her own safety scarce making any impact upon her awareness at all. The dratted woman was in a full blown panic about where her keys were even though she was sleeping off another dose of sickness.

She baffled Erik in ways no other dared. Even physically incapacitated and usually sleeping, Erik could still hear Lucy's soul, her dreams, all of her being. Much of Heartfilia's existence seemed to be focused on her spirits and the love she held for each and every one of them. Not since before the Tower of Heaven had Erik sensed so much genuine loyalty in anyone, outside of Cubellios.

A flick of his mind toward his partner and Erik felt Cubellios respond. Giving a mental equivalent of a head pat after tapping the snake's awareness, Erik trotted toward Midnight's position. Erik's guts were already getting queasy as the fast lifting monstrosity Jellal and Brain intended to use to control the world rose out of the ground. From the corner of Erik's vision, a massive tube like construct was rising out of the ground, uprooting massive trees as the mechanical limb shifted to get the magical vehicle underway.

Midnight's magic carpet always came in handy whenever they could not escape the need of extended transportation. In fact, Erik grinned as he noted that the drowsing narcoleptic's sleepy mind, which Macbeth had become after they joined Brain, was expecting his arrival. The tinge of amusement already rising in Midnight's drowsy thoughts were so familiar it took Erik a moment to even register the facetious turn of his best friend's mindset.

The fact that Midnight had developed a facetious streak about the side effect of Erik's magic was the less enjoyable side of their arrangement. To help him cope with the dratted motion sickness, Erik had to put up with Midnight's tongue in cheek thoughts. Although Midnight understood that it was the lacrima's fault, the reflector mage could not stop himself from mentally laughing at Erik's ongoing dilemma.

The magic carpet Midnight used, along with Cubellios' ability to fly did not fit into Erik's concept of transportation being the end result of why Erik was forced to seek out his teammate for temporary relief when the nausea got too much. Because Cubellios could not stay in the air from more than twenty minutes at best, Erik had to spend time on Midnight's carpet unless he wanted to find himself puking his guts up. It was the major reason Erik put his beloved partner to the chore of watching over the prisoners. Despite Brain calling Cubellios his pet, Erik refused to view the massive snake as such. She was far too intelligent to be an average snake so calling Cubellios a pet did not sit well with Erik at all.

In fact, Cubellios had a unique personality that deserved his respect. A soul that sang a very soothing song to Erik's ears and mind. A trait that Erik was noticing paralleled the dratted woman whom Brain and Jellal needed for their plans to fuse this infernal machine with the Tower of Heaven. Heartfilia's song was also soothing to Erik's nerves, and he did not like it one bit. The dratted woman was stirring something in Erik's own magic that he did not wish to look upon, nor deal with any time soon. Phenomena or not, Heartfilia was dangerous because she was causing Erik to doubt everything around him, and it was not something that should be happening.

Because of the woman being so easy to grab, Seis was on it's way to the Tower sooner than Erik wanted. The tower was one place Erik was not happy to be revisiting. Spotting Midnight's carpet floating above one of the badly rotted out buildings, Erik gathered his magic in his legs and vaulted up to his teammate in hopes that he could land before his best friend pulled any pranks. As old as these buildings were, it could be dangerous for anyone to fall through the roof.

A quirked brow, and deepening dimple attached smirk told Erik that Macbeth knew his plan. Much to Erik's relief, Midnight leaned to the side, scooting farther to the side as he landed on the edge of the carpet.

"So, who's watching the prisoners, Cobra?" Midnight managed to yawn out as Erik settled beside him.

"Cubellios is keeping the blue haired child pinned in the corner with the Spitfire that ain't going anywhere. I can still hear their thoughts, and that little woman isn't awake to cause us any trouble."

"Father isn't going to like it if he finds out you left the prisoners with your deadly pet, Cobra." Macbeth answered as his eyes drooped.

"Doesn't matter. Not like they're going anywhere. Sides, I need to talk to Brain about our newbie." Erik answered as the carpet glided down to the floor of the city.

"Oh? He's busy getting Nirvana ready to move. So you'll have to wait until Father has everything online."

"Wasn't thinking right this second, Midnight." Cobra growled right back.

"Spitfire huh? You getting attached to the Phenomena?"

Cobra frowned. "Hell no! Since I'm the one monitoring her mind, I've noticed some things Brain should know about cause the info could help our cause a lot."

"How so?" Midnight asked, all sleepiness evaporating from his features.

"Damned little Spitfire's been through a lot of shit in her life, and I was thinking we could use that to our advantage. In fact, I got a feeling that we can convince her to join us. All we got to do is find the right incentives." Cobra admitted with narrowed eyes.

"So you want out of babysitting duty." Midnight smirked, a hand motion sending the carpet towards the top of the machine where Erik felt Brain's aura expanding as their boss wove his magic.

"More like the little Spitfire is clueless about what her magic can really do, but her memories tell me she's at least twice as strong as Angel magically. Seems to me that Angel's frustrated with her first magic not growing any longer, and she did start studying that new magic four months ago." Cobra pointed out.

"Angel magic does seem to have Sorano's full attention of late. It even feels like a better fit for her since she summoned that one creepy monster she called an angel." Midnight agreed. "So what are you planning, Cobra?"

"Proposing that Brain give that little Spitfire some positive incentives to join us while testing her to see if she's as smart as I'm beginning to think she is from how her mind works. Offer to teach her the real capabilities of her magic, and give her what she wants the most. If we can convince her that we want her around because we believe in her and her magic, I got a feeling that 'Lucky Lucy Heartfilia' will do anything we want her to do, so long as we treat her with respect and stay friendly."

Macbeth's brows furrowed as he thought about the proposition. "And what makes you think that spoiled little heiress would go for such a proposal?"

"I've seen her memories, and they aren't pretty, Midnight. Her soul's constantly screaming for acceptance that isn't degrading her into an object. She's got no idea what her magic can really do. Spitfire's desperate for people to accept her for herself, and who she wants to be. Everyone around her keeps holding her back from what I've managed to find out about her. If we give her reason to believe she won't be held back, or treated like property, I think we could get her to do plenty for us. Win her loyalty and she'll kill herself getting any job we need her to do, done for us."

The carpet came to a stop near Brain's position. "Perhaps your idea will work better than Father's current plan of binding her down and using a mind control spell. Wouldn't hurt to bring it to his attention once Klodoa takes over to keep this weapon on course. If the girl can be used in more ways than one, and works for us willingly, we don't have to waste half so much power as is required to force her obedience."

"That's my thought." Cobra agreed as Midnight brought the carpet to a full stop.

~~oo0oo~~

"If she's going to have any chance of getting saved we need to get out of here while we have this opportunity, Wendy. We have to find help because we aren't strong enough to deal with any of them on our own." A cross sounding hissed comment awoke Lucy from her doze.

A soft, youthful voice whispered back, "I won't leave her, Carla. Lucy San tried her best to save us, but she's so sick and exhausted she couldn't keep her spirit here any longer. It's wrong to abandon her to whatever that monster wants to do to her. I won't leave without her."

Seemed that little Wendy was yet again arguing with her cat companion. Part of Lucy agreed with Carla, but the selfish corner of Lucy's mind was happy that little Wendy was adamant to stay beside her. Not only was the little girl's magic able to make Lucy's pain ease dramatically, Wendy was also the most adorable little girl she had ever encountered. If only they had met under different circumstances!

"Honestly child! Our guild isn't far. If we can get past the snake, we can get reinforcements if we hurry. We need adults to help us rescue her." Carla whisper snapped.

"Carla, that snake is fast and most likely venomous. No way am I going to leave Lucy San here to face that reptile when she's so defenseless. Hate it all you want, but I'm going to protect Lucy San. Hurry back to the guild and get reinforcements, Carla. I'll even help you escape. but I'm not giving that snake any opportunity to eat Lucy San."

"I can't leave you here, Wendy. It's not safe for you to be stuck facing off with that snake either. If you're so sure it's going to eat Lucy San, what's to keep it from attacking you or me?"

Lucy dug deep to open her eyes and face toward the two conspirators. "Carla, I know several of my guild-mates are already on their way to rescue me. Erza, Gray, and Natsu won't be stopped by anyone, not even Laxus. If you use your wings to escape, you can find my friends. Lead them here and they'll deal with this dark guild. I promise."

The white furred cat harrumphed with her nose in the air. "I can't abandon Wendy."

Lucy contemplated her answer before opening her mouth. "Think about it this way, Carla. You aren't abandoning Wendy if you fly up out of that thin window up near the roof. All you're doing is getting us the help we both need to get out of this mess a lot faster. If Wendy or I try to escape, these people will immediately hunt us down like they did the last time. You probably won't be missed for a little bit because they don't see you as important to their plans. If you escape, you can get a fair distance away before they notice you've gone missing."

"Lucy San's right, Carla. I'll help Lucy San keep them distracted while you escape. But you have to be quick about it since this building is shaking real bad. I think Cobra's going to be too sick to really keep track of us for a little bit if my guess is correct."

Lucy felt her brown knit together. "What guess is that, Wendy Chan?"

Wendy twisted around to face Lucy, her face breaking into a smug little grin. "I think Cobra's a Dragon Slayer like me, Lucy San. As a Dragon Slayer matures, we get really bad motion sickness from anything non organic that moves. If Cobra had his snake with him right now, I wouldn't consider letting Carla try to escape. With what's happening, and my nose picking up changes in the air pressure, I'm pretty sure this is some form of transportation. We've got a real chance of getting Carla out of here to get us rescued."

"Is it possible that his ability to know our thoughts has to do with his being a Dragon Slayer?"

Wendy nodded. "I can't rule that out. Not sure how we'll keep Carla's escape hidden if he can read minds though."

"Keep our minds focused far away from anything that could giver her escape away. What have you been thinking about the most outside of trying to escape is a good thing to focus on relentlessly. Block all thoughts of what we're up to outside of being angry with these dark mages should work well enough. Carla, please try to get us the help we need. I'm sure that Fairy Tail will come to our rescue if you can get out of here and lead them back. They won't abandon me. So you need to hurry and take this chance to escape. I'll help Wendy as best I can, and it seems that they need us for something so it isn't like they can afford to hurt us too much." Lucy spoke in her heiress voice to insure the girl cat got the message.

Carla's expression soured even further. Watching the cat mull over the information, and seeing her tail twitching in anger, Lucy knew the feline did not wish to concede defeat. The recognition that it was their best option seeped into the cat's eyes a moment later. With another huff, Carla dropped onto her hands and knees with a hesitant nod.

"Distract the snake, and I'll make a run for it."

Wendy grinned brightly and scrambled to her feet. "I've got the perfect distraction. Stay safe, Carla."

Stomping toward the snake, while staying out of it's strike range, Wendy snapped in the loudest voice she could manage, "I know you can hear me! I need to go to the bathroom, and I can't wait any longer! If you want Lucy San to get better, then you better bring us something to eat soon. She can't stay awake very long! Nothing I do is going to stabilize her from her Magic Deprivation sickness without any food in her system!"

The snake's head rose from it's coil, tongue darting out of it's mouth as it tasted the air. Wendy stepped a little closer, still wary of it's strike range, and forced the reptile to focus on her as she continued to yell in hopes of getting Cobra's attention. Carla inched along the wall, huddling into herself to be less noticeable. Soon the white cat vanished behind some broken furniture and masonry that obscured the snake's visual range. Lucy found herself forcing her mind to focus away from the cat completely, aware that their jailor had a knack for reading their thoughts. With all her willpower, Lucy focused on reminding their ill tempered host that she thought he was an idiot, alongside all his friends. If there was one thing Lucy was certain about, it was her ability to irritate the maroon haired man. In fact, Lucy found herself taking perverse amusement from pushing Cobra's buttons.

With the idea of getting even in mind, Lucy set out to use her only weapon to her best advantage. Drawing off of every painful thing she had ever overcome, Lucy started thinking about all the ways she could make her abductors miserable once she was able to move again. Plots began forming of how Lucy intended to make her kidnappers suffer for what they had done to her and Wendy.

The snake uncoiled, a soft hiss escaping it's jaws as it unfurled it's wings. In tandem with Wendy, they moved toward the only human sized exit. Lucy found herself watching Wendy with a genuine touch of fear entering her thoughts. The snake was dangerous, and Lucy did not like seeing Wendy so close to it. Lucy was hoping that the little girl would be safe from it's fangs as Wendy sidled closer to the door without getting too close to the beast.

It felt like an eternity crawled along before the door swung open and Wendy's yelling ceased. Cobra and the narcoleptic were revealed. Her stomach growling in discontent, Lucy registered how painfully hungry she felt. Thoughts focused like a laser, Lucy raged over their ill treatment and stupidity with even more gusto, backed by her stomach cramping.

"Finally awake enough to eat, Spitfire?" The maroon haired jerk quipped with what Lucy could only describe as a relieved grin.

Eyes narrowing, Lucy forced herself to sit up, despite the dizziness she felt. "I have a name, Idiot! Considering you jerks kidnapped me, you ought to know it already!"

A snicker flitted through the doorway. "So that's why you're calling her Spitfire. I can see it being a fitting codename for our grumpy guest."

"Here's some food. Eat slow or you'll toss your cookies," the man grumbled as he dropped the bag onto Lucy's blanket covered lap. "After you finish eating, we've got a proposition for you, Lucy Chan."

Without giving her any chance to respond, Cobra shoved out of the room, slamming the door closed behind him. Wendy seemed as startled as Lucy felt. Picking up the bucket, Wendy was quick to move it to a spot where she could lock it into place so it would not wobble and used it as it was intended to be used. Once she was done, Wendy joined Lucy in consuming their long overdue meal as they tried to figure out what was going on with their kidnappers odd behavior now that Lucy found herself more awake and alert.


	29. Chapter 29

A/N: Don't own Fairy Tail elements nor make any money from writing this story. As always thanks so much for every fave, follow, and review. Murphey's law has been striking from all directions to wreak havoc in my real life. I'm not abandoning any of my stories, and I don't promise scheduled updates because I can't always deliver on a schedule. I write whenever I find time and inspiration despite my massive disgust with how crooked corporate America has gotten. 2 character POV separated by ~~oo0oo~~ symbol.

CHAPTER 28

Wracking his brains for a solution to avoid Brain's inevitable wrath, Racer increased the throttle on his motorcycle which ate steadily into his magic reserves. Jumping over dead fall and forest trash, Racer was trying to plan ways to get Hot Eyes and Angel back. The sight of several goons mucking about the underbrush reminded Racer that he had brought several thief guilds to the Worth Woodsea to help search for Nirvana. Seeing the group shifted Racer's thoughts in an instant.

The rag tag guilds would make perfect cannon fodder to slow down the light mages if nothing else. Their distraction would make it possible for himself, Hot Eyes, and Angel to exact revenge once his guild mates were released. Better yet if he could get Cobra involved. He was a Dragon Slayer and had his venomous flying snake that could both crush and bite in order to kill the enemy. It wasn't as if Midnight couldn't keep the two girls trapped for a couple hours, even while he slept.

Slamming on the brakes and wheeling the bike to the left, Racer came to a stop in front of two goofy looking, heavyset men that reminded him of a monkey and a mummy. One was dark skinned with a black, and blue circle inclusive, Afro, while the other was paler, with spiky yellowish green hair and dark rings beneath beady little eyes. The pair were not very smart as Racer recalled, but they did not need brains to wear down the Lightning Mage who took down two members of Oracion Seis before Racer's eyes. Racer simply needed enough fighters to wear the monstrous power house down. The fighters did not have to be mages to force the lightning mage to exhaust his magic. Once weakened, any Seis member in the vicinity could destroy the bastard. Considering the drain on his own magic, Racer figured Cobra was the best candidate to rip the Council dog's apart before they found Nirvana.

"Change of plans. We've got Light Guild meddlers from several guilds trying to interfere. I need every guild member loyal to Oracion Seis slowing the assholes down and helping to kill them."

"Gato Nii-san and I will make sure to stop them, Racer Sama." The Afro headed man answered while flashing gold encrusted teeth.

"Zato Nii-san is correct. Where will we find the intruders, Racer Sama?" The mummy man asked.

"Yes, we will make sure to stop them, Racer Sama." Zato reiterated.

"You already said that, Zato Nii-san." Gato added much to Racer's annoyance.

"Both of you shut up and listen!" Racer barked. "I need you to send runners to the other guilds so we can get all Seis aligned guilds involved with blocking the Council's dogs that're sniffing around. Brain'll handle finding Nirvana and getting it operational while you block any interference so we can use Nirvana to crush them. I'm getting Cobra to make sure we take the assholes out of commission for good. I'll be back with him as soon as possible. Make sure everyone keeps the light mages pinned down until we get back. Got that?"

"Aye, Racer Sama. So who should we send to fetch the other guilds, Gato Nii-san?" Zato asked as he faced his co-master.

"It has to be someone fast and able to remember their task, Zato Nii-san." Gato answered as he scratched his head.

"True, so who should we send to fetch the other guilds?" Zato began again.

"You've already asked that, Zato Nii-san."

Racer rolled his eyes and tuned out the duo. The pair running the Naked Mummy thief guild were rather dense, and Racer did not want to waste time listening to their Pete and Repeat game. Looking at the fast assembling thieves that were part of Naked Mummy's guild, Racer inspected the lot to see who could get the job done. A small, ferret faced fellow with burning black eyes caught Racer's attention as did a hulking gorilla of a man with a thoughtful expression, and two more cunning looking thieves that stood out among the ranks.

"You, and you. Get over here. I want the two of you as well." Racer pointed to the members that caught his eye.

The men shuffled closer to Racer, shooting bemused glances at their bickering leaders. A glance at Zato and Gato reinforced that the men were still trapped in their never ending verbal loop. By Racer's best estimate it would take the pair at least ten minutes to come to any real consensus. Yanking some slips of paper from his jacket, Racer began jotting his message down on each piece of paper.

"I need each of you to take this message to your sister guilds. We have to stop the Light Guilds from getting Nirvana first. I want each of you to head in a different direction to deliver my message. One of the objectives you have is to insure that every guild is fighting to pin down the Council dogs snooping around here. Move as fast as you can, and don't fail to deliver these messages. Brain will have everyone's asses if the light guilds prevent us from getting Nirvana online. Once it's online, we'll be able to crush the Council and their dogs. Do you understand?"

As a single entity the men answered in the affirmative with Racer dividing the messages between them. "As for the rest of you, I want you working together to help Angel and Hot Eye. The Light Guilds have banded together to stop us from getting our hands on Nirvana so we can crush the Magic Council. I saw several different guild marks, and a couple of them are tough fighters. Team up so you can exhaust and overwhelm them while I get Cobra so we can give you back up. I'm ordering our allied guilds to come to your aide. Hold the bastards as long as you can, pin them down if possible, and do all in your power to hold our adversaries in one spot so we can find you faster. Get moving in that direction."

Pointing in the direction from which he came, Racer sent the thieves guild members charging toward battle. Oblivious to their surroundings, Zato and Gato continued with their impromptu joke of a conference. Satisfied that the matter was taken care of, Racer gunned the motorcycle's engine. As the last of Naked Mummies members vanished into the foliage, Zato and Gato reached a consensus of who to send with the message.

"Racer Sama, what message you want us to send?" Gato asked, unaware that his guild had dispersed.

"I already picked some members to carry the message, and sent the rest to run interference. Catch up with your guild-mates and keep the light mages from interrupting our plans." Racer snapped at the two men.

As the two cringed, Racer gunned his motorcycle engine and prepared to launch the motorcycle towards the guild's temporary quarters. "I have to collect Cobra. If I cross any other guilds, I'll send them your way."

Saying his peace, Racer sent dirt and debris flying as he whirled the bike around to speed off into the forest. It would not do for Brain to discover that Hot Eyes and Angel were captured. Brain insisted on Oracion Seis members being the strongest mages around, and he never accepted excuses for failure. To get defeated was never an option, and that meant that Racer had to get his friends back as soon as possible.

Perhaps his in motion plans would calm Brain enough that the setback would not prove fatal for anyone if their guild master learned the humiliating truth. Then again, with how unpredictable Brain acted when Zero peeked through, anything was possible. At least Racer could count on Brain not being as hard on him as he was going to be on Angel and Hot Eyes if he found out about this mess. Getting captured was the worst sin anyone in their guild could commit, so Racer had no doubts that the punishment was going to be severe for both of his life long companions if Brain learned of their temporary captivity.

~~oo0oo~~

Following the motorcycle summoning freak that escaped with any speed was now impossible. Laxus was glaring at the collection of injured mages who seemed intent on dogging his heels, complicated by the cold cocked, magic cuffed, prisoners they were arguing over. Impatient to get this mess wrapped up while getting satisfactory payback for his prior humiliation was taking an unexpected back seat to trying to get everyone to cooperate.

"Why can't any of you admit that taking these two deeper into enemy territory is a stupid move?" Laxus growled.

"Under different circumstances, I would be the first to agree with you, Laxus Dono. However, these are not normal circumstance, and Fairy Tail cannot face the brunt of this alliance's duties alone. The Magic Council has given this mission to all of us, so we must work together. As a Wizard Saint, I am obligated to see this mission through to the end." Wizard Saint Jura was injured bad enough that he needed to drop out of the hunt, yet refused on stupid leadership grounds.

"Don't forget that I'm a guild master in my own right, Jura. We're both responsible for this mission and everyone that's part of this alliance. If the enemy gets the drop on you and releases this pair, I'm going to have to take them down a second time because you're injured. Wizard Saint or not, you have limits. For that reason you need to take your guild mates and deliver these two losers to the Rune Knights while we've got them neutralized. Splitting up is the best way to bring Oracion Seis down fast, and keep them from getting the artifact. If that asshole isn't caught fast, he'll alert his guild to our presence. I'll still have the Blue Pegasus members with me. I'm sure we can handle the rest of the Seis members while your group takes these two to Lahar. Besides, we've got that weird energy spire to lead us straight through the damned forest."

"Master Laxus is right. We need speed in case that magic spire's an attempt to break the seal on Nirvana. If the seal breaks, they'll kill Lucy unless they have another way to use her." Erza spoke in favor of making haste, plus added in the most unsavory possibility.

Because of Jura's rank, Laxus was not allowed to ignore the man's input as much as he desired to do so. _'Wish I could use my rank to order Lamia Scale to take these idiots to Lahar. Too bad Jura's a fucking Wizard Saint so technically outranks me. Even if the Council can't be trusted with Blondie, Lahar can get these dead weights locked up so my group can move a lot fucking faster. Flame Prick's nose can follow the Speed Freak's scent trail. Much as Matchstick annoys me, I'll give him credit for being useful. Hopefully that damned mage will lead us straight to Blondie if she isn't where that light's coming from so we can wrap this up and go home.' _

Ichiya hummed thoughtfully while stroking his chubby chin. "Meehnn, I applaud such heart warming sentiments that fairy Tail mages share! I understand your desire to save your lovely maiden, even from the Magic Council's foul plans, Master Laxus. She must have a most delightful perfume to have you so concerned for the fair damsel in her hour of distress. Yet, I must agree with Jura Sama. We are working a multiple guild mission this time. Wondrous as I find your desire to save the lovely Lucy, making hasty decisions is proof of anxiety clouded judgment. Now that we're aware of the underhanded plans of the Magic Council, it is best for us all to present a unified front for the lovely maiden's safety. If Fairy Tail works alone, the Magic Council will call your actions foul, and the fair lady will be blamed. If we all work together, the Council will hesitate to harm your delightful damsel."

"Ichiya's correct. It will take all of us to insure the lovely Lady Lucy is protected." One of the Trimens added to their leader's flowery speech.

"Gihihihi. Looks like me and Salamander aren't the only ones noticin' ye've got the hots fer Bunny Girl, Master. Don' worry, we'll get Bunny Girl back fer ya." Gajeel added.

Feeling sparks rising across his skin, Laxus snarled at the black haired Slayer. "If you don't shut the hell up about that nonsense, I'm going to fry your metal ass so hard it'll be slag, Tin Can! We gotta get Blondie back because of her business expertise. Without her, Fairy Tail's not going to make the deadline, ya dumb son of a bitch! Since nobody's willing to take these dead beats in, let's get moving. We've got a mission to complete, and daylight's burning away."

Adding insult to injury, Jura hoisted Hot Eye onto his shoulder in a fireman's carry which caused the man's gut wound to start bleeding. "Damn it, Jura! What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Jura flashed a serene smile. "As you pointed out, Laxus Dono, I'm injured. Therefore it makes sense that I do my part by carrying this prisoner so that your strength will be available to fight the enemy."

Seeing as how Jura insisted upon fireman carrying the far larger mage, Laxus felt compelled to carry the feather dressed bimbo. Even as Laxus hoisted her like a sack of rotten potatoes, he began nursing his ire over the unspoken insult. Not having both hands free was a potent recipe for disaster if they got attacked by the Speed Freak because it crippled Laxus ability to counteract any sneak attacks the damned coward might launch.

"I'll take point since I can instantly call a few dozen swords to block enemy attacks while everyone creates a defensive ring around the prisoners to keep them secured, Master Laxus." Titania volunteered while re-quiping into a rather elaborate looking, metal winged armor.

With a single nod and grunt, Laxus began to stomp down the pathway to follow the Speed Freak's trail, and try to make sure he kept the power funnel in sight. Titania was soon surrounded by Blue Pegasus mages who were determined to distract her. Discovering Gajeel taking a position at his flank, and chortling over Erza's obvious problems with the flirty Trimens only added to Laxus' irritation. It felt as if his own guild doubted his abilities to defend himself somehow.

The rapid escalating chaos of the unrelated guild teams falling into a competitive state soon chaffed Laxus' nerves as they walked deeper into the forest. The constant bickering and fleeting scuffles that Natsu was egging on started causing hold ups. The deeper into the forest they went, the stronger Laxus' feeling got that there was an odd hum clogging the air. Laxus was not quite sure why he even felt as if the air was humming, but the impression was getting stronger. Perhaps it was irritation loosening his control over his lightning magic that was causing the sensation. With all the stupidity surrounding him, it was not as if Laxus was without justification to get angry. The other possibility was the earlier seen pillar of energy blasting into the sky.

Squabbling between Gray and the white haired Lamia Scale mage merged into the Trimens and Ichiya's alternating harassment of Titania and the Lamia Scale woman. Flametard was trying to provoke everyone into a damned brawl because he was bored. Ichiya was spouting poetic nonsense about how wonderful Blondie must smell for Laxus to be determined to get her back. The idiot pretty boys who worshiped Ichiya continued to alternately irritate the women in their group. Furious as Titania was getting, Laxus wished Ichiya and his near useless teammates would take the hint and back off. Same wish applied to the Lamia Scale mages, with the addition of the injury weakened lot taking the prisoners back the way they came.

However much the group annoyed Laxus, both guilds S class mages had given Laxus invaluable news of what the Magic Council intended to do to Blondie. Owing the two men a favor, Laxus settled on gritting his teeth instead of following his gut impulse to chase down the dark mage that got away. The racket the trio of guilds created was getting so loud that Laxus doubted any of the Dragon Slayers could hear a metal clad army crashing through the underbrush before the enemy plowed the alliance members into the ground by stampeding through their ranks.

In a nutshell, things were going to shit for the idiotic, council created, alliance now grating on Laxus' nerves. The group's overall progress through the Worth Woodsea forest felt like it was moving slower than pouring half frozen molasses over an iceberg. With the bulk of the light mages being injured, plus easily distracted, the group was holding Laxus' team back.

Carrying the bimbo was not taxing Laxus strength, but being called back every five minutes so the rest could catch up was provoking a headache. Only Fairy Tail's mages were not whimpering over their cuts and bruises. Far as Laxus was concerned, any mage who couldn't handle a few aches and pains had no business being a mage.

All things considered, Laxus was very tempted to dump the unconscious wench on Ichiya's head and shift into lightning form to escape the morons limping along behind him. Team _Mass Destruction_ would be quick to catch up even if he left them behind. Granted Natsu, Gajeel, Gray, and Erza would destroy a fair chunk of old growth forest to keep him in sight, but Laxus no longer cared about minor details. Natsu's and Gajeel's noses would lead them right to Blondie, or insure the others found him once he cornered the dark mage that had gotten away.

It was not like the other guilds could stop Fairy Tail from surging ahead if Laxus gave the order. The Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus members were in equally rough shape. Meaning that if Laxus did dump the damned woman on Ichiya, the other guilds would stop making any forward progress at all. Which was what forced Laxus to stay with the morons. The heavy underbrush could hide whole dark guilds waiting to ambush the stragglers.

The two dark mages in their custody increased the likelihood of attack with the pair getting rescued. In the event they were attacked, the seven allied mages from the other guilds would be easy prey. The enemy mages would get released so Hot Eye could obliterate the injured group. Much as Laxus hated to admit it, Hot Eye had proven himself a formidable mage, possibly ranking in the SS leagues. Allowing the earth mage to get rescued was a very bad idea. It was troublesome enough to bring the bastard down the first time. With Jura making his injury worse by carrying the big man, a second round against Hot Eye would result in the Wizard Saint getting taken out for good. Angry as he was, Laxus was no fool. Fairy Tail was the only protection the weaklings had if another attack came their way.

"A trio of Dragon Roars can mow down attacking groups easier than wasting our time on individual combat, Master Laxus. Ye want me ta round Salamander up and make sure he's ready?" Gajeel seemed to be getting as jumpy as Laxus found himself feeling with each step.

"Three dragon slayers working together will be enough to get the job done if we're attacked. It's going to be up to Fair Tail to protect the others. Jura's injuries are bad enough that he's not going to be able to do much outside of creating some kind of shield for the other guilds to hide behind. Titania's control over her swords means we can cover all directions."

Gajeel grunted assent. "Least mine and Salamander's noses work even if we can't hear shit over all their chattering. Something about this place feels off. My gut says we need to be ready for anything."

"Agreed. Stay sharp, and try to get Flametard focused." Laxus responded.

While Blondie was in danger, playing nice could only help Laxus cultivate enough allies to stop the Magic Council's underhanded plans the way Ichiya had implied earlier. Therefore, with Jura flanked by his two guild members, and Ichiya's group yipping nonsense at Erza, the light alliance dogged Team Fairy Tail's heels deeper into the old growth forest as Laxus tried to determine where their enemies would strike.

With every step, Laxus worried that Oracion Seis would get away with Blondie a second time. Using her magic to unlock the Nirvana's seal was not happening if Laxus could prevent it. If anything this Nirvana, an ancient magic no less, was starting to sound like very bad news from what little Blue Pegasus had known about the artifact. Then again, from Hound's souls, Team Fairy Tail knew far more about the ancient weapon than any Archive Mage.

"Why's the pillar looking different now, Jura San?" The red haired bimbo from Lamia Scale simpered as she pointed toward a break in the trees.

"Oh shit! This could be very, very bad!" The dark blond member of the Blue Pegasus team muttered as he activated his Archive magic that coalescence into strange oval screens and began moving his fingers with such speed that Laxus wondered if the poor sap was having a hysteria fit.

Ichiya rubbed his chin as he made weird dance like poses while drawing closer to Laxus. "My guess is that they've broken the seal on Nirvana. Tell us your readings say as soon as you have them, Hibiki Kun. Meeehn."

It was a struggle not to roll his eyes at the flamboyant Blue Pegasus S class mage. Laxus was beyond ready to shrug off the changing hues of the weird pillar to continue hunting down the missing Seis member. Then again if this was the final part of the seal's breaking, Seis had coerced Blondie to obey them, and as Hound proposed, they had the right battery to fix her magic deprivation sickness. Such a thought inclined Laxus to move a whole lot faster to shut things down before all hell broke loose.

Dumping the Seis allied female on the ground a moment later, Laxus rolled his shoulders. "If they have fully unlocked the seal on Nirvana, we need to get there fast. It's where they'll have Blondie. They needed her to help them get that thing online as I understand things. If we leave these prisoners behind, and only take the fastest members while the rest of you keep these two contained, we'll have a better shot at stopping them from extracting the weapon from it's resting place, and possibly even reseal the damned thing with Blondie's help once she's free."

Jura nodded as he likewise dropped his red haired burden. "An excellent point, Master Laxus. Time does seem to be of the essence since the very air seems to be charging around us."

Hibiki spoke up as his fingers continued dancing over the oval keys of his archive. "The current energy discharge is Nirvana's power which implies the seal's been broken. Any one of us could be overcome by the magic contained in the pressure waves if we aren't very focused mentally to remove all doubts from our hearts."

Laxus snorted over the prissy little popinjay's commentary even as Natsu slammed his fists together with a grin. "What's there to doubt? We go in and beat the bad guys up and rescue Luce. Simple enough. Let me go, Laxus. Luce's waiting!"

"For once I'm with Flame Brain! They gave us a homing beacon to get to Lucy, so let's go get her already." Gray added. "We've got to lay down the law that nobody messes with Fairy Tail's family and gets out of it without a lot of broken bones."

A different armor re-quip later and Titania was adding her thoughts. "Agreed. Lucy's like a sister to me, and I will not stand aside while she's being harmed."

Unlike the others, Gajeel stiffened head up and teeth gritting into a beastly snarl. "Salamander, you smell that?"

The pink haired pyro whirled, lifting his head as his nose began to twitch. "Gotta be at least forty of them."

Hearing the two Slayers comments, Laxus took charge before either of his fellow S class mages from the other guilds could recover. "Jura, get a strong wall around those two to make it harder for the enemy to retrieve them. Everyone else get ready for incoming enemies."


	30. Chapter 30

A/N: Still don't own anything but my twisted plot bunnies and original characters, nor do I make any money off this tale. Updating multiple stories is a slow going process, so thanks so much for being so patient. Sucks to be crazy busy while sick to put things into perspective. But enough of my bellyaching. On with the story, and thanks to everyone who has reviewed, followed, and favored this story in spite of my lackadaisical updating.

CHAPTER 29

_**Hearing the two Slayers discussion about the enemy, Laxus took charge before either of his fellow S class mages from the other guilds caught on to the situation. "Jura, get a strong wall around those two to make it harder for the enemy to retrieve them. Everyone else get ready for incoming enemies." **_

~~oo0oo~~

No sooner had Laxus' command left his mouth, then several armed men erupted from the undergrowth and charged their group. Not sensing any magic from the dozen charging toward him, Laxus figured the attackers were bandits. Non magic users were easy to take out with a single strike, and Laxus wanted to get back to the real mission of retrieving Blondie fast. A single wide radius attack would take out a fair number of the incoming, scruffy looking group. Of course Natsu was already racing forward to meet the others, as were the rest of his teammates.

"Stay close to make sure we don't lose the prisoners!" Laxus bellowed and heard affirmatives from the trio of destructive mages.

Because of Natsu's comment about there being roughly forty members, Laxus drew upon his dragon slayer magic. Within seconds, Laxus unleashed a dragon's roar that ripped through a decent swath of the charging group. Out of the dozen who came at Laxus, only three were still conscious after the lightning blast tore through their ranks. The three on the fringe of the attack's radius remained on their feet. The trio were reeling like drunks and electric sparks danced around their forms. Not daring to break ranks with the prisoners being held within the circle of light guild mages, Laxus sneered at the trio as he unleashed a secondary volley of lesser, ranged spells that dropped the remaining bandits in twitching heaps.

'_Weaklings without backbones should never attempt to stop their betters from doing their missions.'_

"I didn't know you were a Dragon Slayer, Laxus Dono." Jura called as the ground shivered beneath Laxus' feet while the earth mage completed the earthen prison.

"I don't use it often because it reminds the Magic Council of things better off forgotten." Laxus snapped while keeping his eyes roaming the woods surrounding their position.

An unnamed emotion swept through Laxus as is eyes encountered the black and white pillar of power that reached to the sky to remind him of the reason for their presence in this ancient forest. Somewhere in the vicinity of that tower was Blondie. The tiny little spit fire that refused to back down to himself, which said something for her stubbornness. The woman was a God send when it came to her office skills, and Laxus knew it. Her knowledge was key to helping end the nightmare Laxus could not escape alone. Yet Oracion Seis must have found a means of forcing Blondie to use her magic to unlock a nightmare upon the world. It was eerily similar to how the Magic Council threatened Laxus' own existence to control his Grandfather throughout his life. Laxus did not like the similarity. Part of him wondered what the Dark Guild had found to use against Lucy Heartfilia.

"So, you aren't so different than we members of Oracion Seis, Laxus Dreyer. A fellow victim of perhaps the cruelest of all magical experimentation and degradations ever devised. Fortunate for Cobra that Brain saved him from Medusa's Lair even as you were saved by someone. I see you, yes?!" Hot Eyes voice rose from behind the wall.

Fury rippled through Laxus' being as his eyes settled on more bandits who looked far more shaken than the first wave, yet were determined to stand against Fairy Tail. Fear reflected in their expressions, yet Laxus only felt the odd, undefined emotion that rose with thoughts of Blondie to begin swirling and combining with all too familiar soul deep contempt. A contempt that seemed to shiver under the knowing words that penetrated to Laxus core.

"Shut the fuck up, Asshole. How I got a lacrima implant is none of your business! Your speculations are nothing but an attempt to sidetrack our team dynamics." Laxus snarled, his anger charging another powerful lightning attack while ignoring the horrified looks on Erza and Gray's faces.

As expected of his guild members, Natsu, Gray, Erza, and Gajeel recovered from the shock of Hot Eyes' words because of his quick thinking. They resumed unleashing their fury on anyone they could reach with their magic. Erza's swords spiraled around her as they returned from yet another attack she had unleashed. Telling the multitude of weapons to dance around her, Erza targeted the next wave of fools to leave the safety of the forest behind. Satisfied by the number of new combatants, Erza unleashed the whirling blades to smash through more enemies.

Considering how many were already on the ground, Laxus was gaining certainty that Natsu's nose had miscalculated the number of attackers they would be facing. Or the speed freak from Seis already had reinforcements converging from all directions. If the sounds of magic attacks coming from behind Laxus' back were any indicator, they were trapped between swelling enemy ranks. It was important to get out of the trap and continue toward the pillar of magic so that they could save Blondie before it was too late.

Jura had completed the earthen walled prison to prevent their captives from escaping, but Laxus was not going to count on holding the two dark mages for very long if the number of enemies continued to rise. Once their members got tired, the tide would turn, especially if dark mages joined the fight. Numbers could play into the dark guild alliance's favor by depleting their magic if enough combatants kept up the pressure for any length of time. Realization set Laxus teeth to grinding as an image of Blondie's smiling face flashed through his mind as he electrocuted another group.

"Medusa's Lair found a way to release their leader from the seals that put her demonic self to sleep. Bellona has returned to her previous ways, and is seeking the few unfortunate souls that remain from her previous experiments. She won't stop until she sacrifices all survivors to the demon Gods, and sells off the lacrimas." Hot Eyes' voice jolted Laxus yet again. "You need a means to overcome the demon possessed creature before she finds you. Not even money can stop her from serving the agendas of Tartarus. Brain has a plan to stop her, and you're interfering with it."

"Ignore the dumb shit, Master Laxus. He's trying to distract us so they can get Bunny Girl out of here!" Gajeel called from the left.

"Tell me something I don't know, Rust Bucket." Laxus replied in a mock amused voice to cover his shock at the quaver he picked up in Gajeel's voice. "Too bad for him that I'm not the least phased by his comments. They picked the wrong woman to kidnap and we're going to retrieve her. Must need Blondie more than we already assume if he's trying this hard to cause us to doubt our mission."

The likelihood of his prediction coming true about their prisoners getting retrieved served to increase Laxus' concerns with the whole botched to date operation. Yet Laxus did not dare show his unease, especially with what their prisoner had spouted. It was bad enough that Fairy Tail was getting told of things Laxus had kept concealed from all but Gajeel, Blondie, and the Thunder Tribe. So long as Erza and the rest had reason to doubt Oracion Seis, Laxus could refocus his members on their main mission.

If only the morons from the other guilds had listened when it was possible to get the Oracion Seis members locked away before they continued moving! If not for the Oracion Seis members already in their custody, they could have skirted the small fries that served their enemy to make better time, and gotten to Blondie's location already. It would have been better if Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale had never gotten the information that the Seis earth mage had glibly divulged to make things even more uncomfortable.

"Get back here, Natsu!" Laxus bellowed at the unruly younger slayer as Natsu surged forward, leaving a hole in their defensive perimeter while rushing to meet new enemies who were hanging further back.

Instead of obeying, Natsu charged deeper into the underbrush and trees, chasing after screaming bandits. Not even Erza's shriek to return had any effect on the hot headed Slayer. From the corner of his vision Laxus saw spouts of fire erupting between trees and getting further away by the second. Worst of all, Laxus could already tell that Natsu was setting the heavy underbrush on fire as he charged after the cowards who broke before him. Yet again Natsu's thoughtless quest for battle would result in Fairy Tail getting fined by the Magic Council. Over an ancient forest getting burned to the ground by the most destructive mage in history right behind Gildarts no less.

Even Gray had enough sense to realize that charging off was a bad move. Ice magic flowed into lances that bludgeoned and slammed through multiple enemies. The absolute reality of how little control Erza had over Natsu, and the fact that Gray was sticking close to the group explained plenty about the Team's lack of functionality. Snorting in disgust, Laxus realized that Natsu's damages had to be minimized before the forest was set ablaze. The objective was to save Blondie, not barbeque her.

"Gray, try to contain the fire that dumb son of a bitch started before the forest goes up and kills everyone!" Laxus barked as he sought to devise a counter plan now that Natsu had gone loose cannon. "Everyone else shift to compensate for that idiot bailing so we can hold our ground. We need someone to cuff the enemies already out of commission and dump 'em inside the holding wall Jura made."

"I can stop the fires from spreading with my magic." The dainty looking fair haired member of Ichiya's team yelled as he also left the defensive ring and called snow flurries to smother the fire.

"Meeehhhn! Show them the passion of Blue Pegasus, Eve." Ichiya spouted while knocking out another dark guild member through a silly pose in his magically enhanced body form.

"I'll cuff these losers and toss them inside the barrier, Laxus." Gray responded while nodding toward Eve. "You won't be able to stop Ash Breath but try to keep up with him if you can."

"Leave it to me. I'll see if I can persuade Natsu san to return to the group before he gets into too much trouble." Eve called out as he snuffed the closest brush fire that was fast growing.

"Remind him that Lucy isn't fire proof, and is probably badly hurt. The reminder ought to get him to cool it with his fire breathing!" Gray yelled over his shoulder to the retreating Trimen member.

Even as the kid put his snow magic into flame smothering action, Gray set to work restraining the already downed dark guild members, locking ice around their limbs between attacks on the growing number of enemies determined to climb out of the literal wood works to challenge their group.

Fury slithered through Laxus' mind as his element writhed across his skin. Making a mental note to beat the younger man's reckless ass into submission once they got Blondie back, Laxus sent out several more bolts of lightning at the last of the enemy in his direct line of sight. With grim determination, Laxus slid over to help fill the breach in their defenses. Ichiya likewise shifted to cover a broader portion of the circle even as his remaining misfit pretty boys fanned out to help fill in Natsu's, and Eve's gaps. Gajeel was ramming his transformed arms into bandits like pistons surging within a well oiled engine block. At least one Dragon Slayer had enough sense to realize that losing their prisoners was a bad idea. Jura was opposite of Laxus position so he was only able to determine the other man's magic based on sharpened senses, and magical output coupled with yelps, shrieks, and curses that reached his ears. Erza's swords were clashing with something metal according to Laxus ears, but he had no doubt the woman would win against anyone who dared draw steel on her.

Several ice birds swooped into Laxus peripheral vision, raking a couple more enemies so hard that the magical creatures took them out of the fight. At least Jura's other mages were still in the fight according to the fast and flashy display. The shouts and commotion levels were not as loud as would have been expected. Panicked babbling about rampaging trees caught Laxus attention for a moment. If there were enemy mages in their own rights, the fight would have been more difficult. Laxus did not expect all their enemies to be non mages before the day was done, but so far their luck was holding. The need to conserve their magic flitted through Laxus mind as he put down the last visible members of the opposition with a couple well placed lightning strikes.

Once the enemies were secured, Laxus turned to face Jura who had a very solemn expression marring his features. "How do you propose we secure all these idiots and make any time now, Jura?"

"We have no choice but to divide our forces to insure we keep this large group of law breakers confined." Jura admitted as his expression turned even grimmer.

"Already used my archive magic to contact reinforcements. The rune Knights will come and get them soon." Hibiki offered as he continued pressing buttons on his magical keyboard.

Before Laxus could rail against calling the traitors closer, Jura took over the conversation. "How's the situation with that weird power pillar in the distance reading, Hibiki Dono?"

"The energy output is starting to decline. Looks like the worst of the bleed off has passed which can only mean Nirvana's partially unsealed. At least we haven't turned on each other which is a good sign. Seems we weathered the initial effects for now." The Archive mage grumbled.

"Meaning they found a way to force Bunny Girl to break the seal, and she was powerful enough to do the job on her own in spite of all Lahar's fucking bullshit posturing to the contrary." Gajeel snarled, a demon log attack smashing through a thick hardwood trunk nearby.

A glance at the weakening pillar of light had Laxus narrowing his eyes. "How the hell were they able to get Blondie's magic back to the correct levels for her to break the seal? She was drained to the point of magical deprivation sickness when I tried to protect her from these assholes."

Hibiki cleared his throat. "The first seal is the only one broken. Unfortunately it's the one which allows Oracion Seis to retrieve the artifact, and doesn't require much to breach. The deeper seals are the worrisome ones. If they can escape with the artifact, then Seis can use your guild member at a later date to break the true seals and unleash Nirvana's magic on the world at full strength."

"Then I'm taking a team to retrieve Blondie before they can get away. You've already called in the Knights, so you have to stay with Jura. So that leaves me with Erza, Gray, Gajeel, and another one of you guys. Who's coming?" Laxus forced himself to ask.

Take Ren and Lyon with you. Myself, Ichiya, Sherria, and Hibiki should be enough to hold off any attackers until the Rune Knights arrive." Jura offered as a compromise.

"Catch Eve and your other guild mate by moving quickly which this perfume will help. Mehhn." Ichiya added as he popped open another vial and his perfume danced around the group.

Erza shuddered but also gave a nod when the perfume reached her. "Thank you, Ichiya. We'll be sure to keep your guild mate safe and watch his back in return."

With those words, Laxus and the rest of his guild members with the two other mages tore off in the direction of the diminishing magical beacon.


	31. Chapter 31

A/N: Don't own any of Mashima's darlings nor make any money from writing this A.U. story line. Happy and belated wonderful celebrations for whichever of the 30 plus major holidays that December has to offer that each of you specifically celebrated. So many across the world to choose from that I can't hope to mention every single one. Same for the New Year celebrations I'm sure a lot of folks enjoyed. Also wishes for a lovely Chinese New Year whenever it happens for 2017 also.

CHAPTER 30

Much as it annoyed Laxus, he had to admit that it was easy to follow Natsu's trail of destruction. At least the Trimen who volunteered to put the fires out was minimizing Natsu's rampage damages to find Blondie. All things considered, the snow mage was doing an admirable job of keeping up with the flaming moron and had perhaps gotten the message to Natsu by now. The rate of snow blankets was decreasing which implied that Natsu had begun to reign in his magic. Each snowy pile was near some downed and singed dark guild member, another good sign that they were on the correct path to save Blondie.

Despite the ongoing ground tremors, Laxus and his team continued to make haste toward the shrinking white and black power column. Thoughts of Lucy continued to swirl through Laxus mind as he led the far more mobile group's charge. The sound of clacking keys and dings of the typewriter alternated with the younger woman's face haunting his mind. The end of her pink tongue poking from between her lips and alternating with her sucking in her lower lip to gnaw as she filled in paperwork reminded Laxus of how strong the attraction for her had gotten during their three weeks of close quarters teamwork.

Not that Laxus knew how to describe the odd pulsing sensation slicing through his heart that made it harder to breathe. All Laxus was willing to concede was he would be very relieved to have Blondie back where she belonged as they got closer to their destination. Something was happening in the depths of his being, and it bothered Laxus because he was unsure what it meant long term. The tightening in his chest was probably due to the intense magical pressure from the ancient magical devise they needed to stop. It could be the same magic worming into his being and trying to turn him into someone Laxus knew he was not. Knowing as much as they did about Nirvana from Hound's souls, Laxus knew he had to keep his focus razor sharp, the same as all his Fairy Tail mages knew to do. Focusing on their objective to save Blondie would protect them from getting corrupted was what they had assumed all along. Yet the increasing tightness and escalating emotions Laxus had no name for also gave him reason for growing alarm at the same time.

A sharp burst of pain behind his eye alerted Laxus that his dragon lacrima was also pulsing in time with the eerie energy that kept inundating his body. Gritting his teeth, Laxus silenced the whimper that clawed up the back of his throat. It was as if the magic in the lacrima was gaining a power up that was threatening to liquify Laxus' vision and brain alike. Something was shifting within Laxus that he could not pinpoint despite his tenacious focus on rescuing their guild mate. However, with images of Lucy taking up so much of Laxus' focus, he felt as if the lacrima was somehow locking into that portion of his memories simultaneously which threw his focus off where it belonged. Shaking his head, Laxus tried to shrug off the sensation and refocus on the mission at hand.

The glow of flames caught the corner of Laxus vision. Determined to catch Natsu and make him rue ignoring direct orders, Laxus fed his magic into his legs and shot forward. Perhaps the most unexpected thing to see was the massive metal tubing that exploded upward, carrying the infuriated Natsu with it as trees slid off the fast rising construct's metal surface. Three men flew through the air as Natsu reeled and lost his footing, arms flailing through the air with the little snow mage tumbling down the ridged tube several feet closer to the ground, likewise tumbling from the moving, snakelike appendage.

Skidding to the side to avoid being thrown into the air, Laxus shifted his legs into lightning and ripped the trimen from under a massive falling tree trunk as he dove past the smaller tow haired boy. With a second bound, Laxus grabbed Natsu's muffler ends, to drag him out of free fall before the fool fire breather landed underneath toppling old growth also. Not even Natsu could survive unscathed if he landed beneath the crushing weight of the huge hardwoods being ripped from the ground to fall so far below. The last thing Laxus could afford was Natsu being taken out of the fight by shattered ribs. Tough as Natsu was, even dragon slayers could be crushed if enough weight came toppling onto them while they were suffering motion sickness.

"Thank you, Master Laxus. I thought we were both goners for a second." the mousy blond boy spoke with palpable relief.

"Let me go, Laxus! I gotta finish off those guys." Natsu snarled as he tugged on the wrapped region of his muffler to prevent choking.

"Shut the fuck up, Flame Brain! I gotta get us to safety or we'll all get crushed!" Laxus barked while shifting directions and fighting to escape the falling timbers.

Much to his surprise, Natsu subsided although from the gagging noises heard, the pink haired menace was trying to keep from hurling, or choking to death. Neither of which particularly bothered Laxus so long as he did not get puked on. One foot after the other solidified and touched down to shift their trajectory as Laxus kept his full concentration upon the massive timbers raining down from the rising metal tubing reaching toward the sky.

From things Hound had mentioned, Laxus already knew that they were dealing with one of the world's first transports. However, the sheer size of the single leg ripping out of the forest floor gave Laxus doubts over Team Mass Destruction's ability to destroy the damned thing. Once underway, Nirvana's movements meant that all hope of himself, Gajeel, and Natsu being effective at fighting would drop below acceptable levels due to the motion sickness they all suffered. Somehow they had to get to the control room and shut the awakening beast off before it was able to get underway.

Natsu getting the sickest meant that the pink haired menace would be next to useless. Even Laxus knew he would have to stay in the air, doing rapid touch downs while keeping his legs in lightning form to counter the gut wrenching sensation the fast awakening Nirvana would bring because of fighting on the moving platform. Unless Natsu could manage to destroy a leg from solid ground to prevent the damned robot from escaping. Due to the size of the leg, Laxus found himself second guessing Natsu's chances as he cleared the last of the rubble crashing behind them.

"Flame Brain, think you got enough power to destroy that fucking leg before they can get this monster moving?"

Natsu's answer came out a bit gargled from his choking. "I'll give it a shot. Should be able to melt it some if you can get me up close enough to use my secret art.

A series of shrill and pained cries further behind alerted Laxus to the likelihood that the rest of the group was not as lucky as his newly rescued members had been. Yet another problem was arising if Gray and Erza had been taken out of commission by the old growth trees getting shed like toothpicks by Nirvana's awakening.

Stopping to draw in much needed air, Laxus dropped the small blond boy even as he hauled the green faced Natsu up to dangle before his eyes. "There will not be any more breaking the chain of command, Natsu! You broke ranks and I'm not going to tolerate your fucking bad attitude any longer." Laxus huffed at the choking male he held aloft.

"Can't breathe, Laxus . . ."

"Your going to wish I'd simply kill your ass before I'm through with you, Flame Brains." Laxus snarled as his magic rippled down his arm and slammed through the pink haired boy's body to make the pink haired male seize and twitch as Laxus dropped him to the ground.

Satisfied with the trouble maker seizing and twitching in unconsciousness, Laxus turned to look at the cowering trimen. "If he starts coming round before I get back, hit him as hard as you can with a broken branch so he can't get away. I've got to check on the others in case someone's injured."

"Y-y-yes, Sir!" came the squeaked reply as the small blond lunged to grab the closest shattered tree limb he could manage with ease.

"When I get back, I want this moron ready to melt this thing's limbs. I have to check on the rest of our team because these trees weight tons. I'm probably the only one capable of getting anyone trapped saved safely. If Erza or Gajeel's under these massive timbers, I'll be the last resort for a speedy rescue."

Understood, Laxus Sama. I'll keep Natsu san from running off."

Knowing his order was being obeyed, Laxus shifted into lightning and hurtled over the shattered mammoths of great trees. Within seconds Laxus located a dome of ice that was groaning under shattered tree trunks. Barely audible were the furious yells of Titania and a strange buzzing that was making the ice shudder. One of the trees was quivering, but not falling. _Must be the rest of the damned team. _Laxus thought as he touched down on the ground.

"Is anyone hurt?" Laxus bellowed.

From behind the thick ice, Laxus made out Gajeel's voice. "We're fine, just trapped until I can cut through this fucking log in our way. The ice flinger got a barrier up in time."

Having concentrated his senses, Laxus was able to pinpoint Gajeel's location. Altering into lightning body a second time, Laxus slammed into one of the large tree trunks, splintering it with his magic, and breaching the ice barrier above the dark haired slayer's position.

"Shattered the problem log, hurry out of here before dumb shit wakes up and gives the snow ball trouble again." Laxus snapped while watching Gajeel's arm shift back from what looked like a massive chain saw.

It did not escape his notice that Gray and the Lamia scale mage were both shirtless and huffing from their exertions of keeping the ice barrier stable as a team. Considering how the two males acted toward each other, Laxus had a suspicion that they knew each other rather well. Both held identical stances as they maintained the ice while backing toward the hole Laxus had punched through broken timbers to aide their escape.

Titania was the first to reach Laxus side. "Gray and his fellow ice make mage had the same teacher it seems. They work well together when not bickering."

Laxus gave a noncommittal grunt as he ducked back through the electricity induced hole. Shoving aside a few stubborn chunks of lightning blasted wood, he pushed out into the main forest, eyes taking in the devastation left over from the Nirvana's machinery going online. The rest of his guild mates with the two other guild members were fast to exit the mess. Once free of the danger, Gray and his fellow ice maker dropped their stances and the ground rocked under booming tree trunks that impacted the ground in a mass of screeching limbs.

"Thanks for coming back for us, Master, but you didn't have to. I'd have had us cut out of there inside twenty minutes tops." Gajeel spoke up as the last of the splintering and groaning wood settled.

"We don't have twenty minutes to waste. Lets get moving. The faster we catch that machine before it's truly underway, the better. Once it gets all of it's legs free, we'll probably lose any hope of bringing it down. Natsu can't handle transportation at all, and that means we're down another fighter we can't afford to lose right now." Laxus snarled, heading toward Natsu and Eve's current position.

"What's the plan, Master?" Erza asked as she jogged up along side.

"Break the fucking legs off to keep it stationary. I'm hoping one broken leg will do the job. We hit it together and hit it hard." Laxus bellowed.

Hard on the heels of his proposal, the vast oval foot began dropping to impact the ground several hundred yards away. As the massive foot darkened the sky, the sounds of timbers wide enough to take a dozen big men to encircle groaned and shrieked under the fast increasing weight of the machinery bearing down upon their tops.

Instead of charging forward as a group, Erza, Gray and the white haired Lamia Scale mage took stances to throw up protective shields. Recalling that two of their teammates were much closer to the shrapnel releasing trees than themselves, Laxus shifted into lightning and hurtled closer to the monstrosity. He could hear the others cursing as they abandoned the plan to wait out the shattering splinters and chunks about to explode through their ranks.

Reaching Natsu and Eve, Laxus solidified long enough to grab the pair and half change as he charged back toward the rest of their team to get further from the fast breaking trees. The explosions of collapsing wood sent a vicious hail of splinters, and jagged edged spikes flying to pelt Laxus and his unwanted charges. The only benefit, if it could be called such, was that a splintered shard of wood embedded in Natsu's arm, waking him up to yelp in pain. Before Laxus could react Natsu was unleashing a Fire Dragon's roar that incinerated the rest of the massive wooden assaulting them.

Landing behind Erza and the rest of the impromptu shielding mages, Laxus dumped Natsu and Eve. Straightening he turned back toward the destruction zone that was spreading as the ground shook under the machine's foot. Whipping around to take in the view, Laxus noticed several other legs were likewise pulling out of the ground as far as his eyes could see.

"Master Laxus, you're hurt!" The skinny blond Trimen squawked as soon as he stumbled to the side and righted his balance.

His words drew the others attention. A collection of gasps greeted Laxus ears as he was counting the legs that were lifting the ruins they planned to investigate earlier.

"Fuck. We gotta take out at least four fucking legs to have any chance, and they gotta come off the same side!" Laxus snapped while trying to come up with a plan that had any chance of working fast enough to drive the core back into the ground before it was able to get mobile.

"Master Laxus, gotta take care of your injuries first." Gajeel pointed out from beside him.

"No time."

"Wrong answer, Master!" Erza shrieked. Seeing the red head's determined glare as she stomped up to get in his face finally brought Laxus' attention fully back to his odd team.

Before Laxus could step around her, Erza was requipping into a nurse costume replete with medical bag. "Getting the splinters and longer chunks of wood out of your back takes precedence because one wrong move and they could be driven deeper into your body."

It was Erza's belligerent look and registering her words that caused Laxus to focus on his own body. A small ripple of tensing muscles made Laxus hiss as the multitude of injuries began to throb. Although he had no idea how much wood had torn into his back as he retrieved the last two members of their team, Laxus knew it was enough to make the others concerned, and make it harder to move his arms the way he should. Anger swirled through Laxus as he began tearing the buttons off the front of his shirt, intent on yanking the obstructions out of his skin by taking his shirt off.

"Make it fast, Titania. We've got to take out multiple legs before it gets under way and that isn't going to be easy. We've got to contain that weapon before it can be used on any communities in this area." Laxus barked as he dropped down onto a knee to give Erza access to the remaining splintered chunks that tearing his shirt off failed to pull out.

"Let's take out the closest leg. If Eve, Lyon and I can freeze an upper section hard enough, then Squinty Eyes, Gajeel, Ren, me, and Lyon can hit it hard enough to start breaking it down. At least we can if Lyon's ice make birds can carry us closer to the body to get this done faster?" Gray was rattling off even as Erza pulled medical supplies including pliers out of her bag.

It was a decent plan considering the few options they had available. Jura would have come in quite handy since the massive legs looked like they might be covered in stone.

"I can do better than that. My Ice dragon can carry us all at once and start the freezing process so we can destroy more of that leg before it can get airborne again." The white haired punk was grinning as his fist slammed into his palm, calling out an animated dragon during his conversation.

"Then get moving! Erza and I will be there in a couple of minutes." Laxus ordered. The rest of their group lunged onto the ice dragon and flashed along the ground as Laxus took a deep breath while trying to constrain his irritation. Getting hurt in such a stupid way was not part of his plans, but seeing a couple of the ragged edged sticks that had been pulled out of his body, and feeling the rivulets of blood flowing down his back and upper arms, Laxus knew he had to get bandaged up before joining the operation again.

"This will be uncomfortable, Master. You've got a fair amount of splinters in your back still."

Heaving a sigh of resignation, Laxus grumbled, "Get on with it."

With those words Erza began yanking out pieces of wood. Fighting to remain still while wincing with each new jab, yank, and blood flow felt, Laxus gritted his teeth and watched the rest of their teammates attack the leg responsible for turning his back into a porcupine's hide.


	32. Announcement

On March 7th 2017, I went to do my job of daily care giving for a neighbor who was a hospice patient. Instead of being able to accomplish the morning routine, I discovered that he had passed away during the night. So I will not be able to update any of my stories for a few weeks as I am in the process of packing and moving things, and many other jobs right now. Please do not hound me to post chapters because I have not had time to work on my stories for about a month due to the gentleman in question being placed on critical care. We knew he would not last much longer, and it was only a question of when he would pass away.

Once I have everything completed, including sorting out the things that his family wished to give me as a thank you for his immaculate care, and three years they did not expect to have with him, then I will get back to being a normal part time author on here. My apologies if my real world obligations annoy some of you, but Adults do not have much leisure time as a rule. I am no exception. None of my stories are abandoned. I simply have not had enough time in a day as I have been working as much as 14 hours per day some days.


	33. Chapter 33

A/N: Don't own any of Mashima's cannons or make money from writing this story line. Thanks for the latest reviews, follows, and faves. Thanks to those individuals who sent me reviews and messages of encouragement and condolences. I truly appreciate the uplifting messages that were shared. Got some relief from the insanity happening in the real world, so I am writing and reading the backlog of followed stories these days despite being stressed out and very sad over losing Mr. TerBush the way we did. The shock has finally worn off, and I am mourning him, but am far clearer minded now. Hope everyone enjoys this dip into the political corruption afoot in the Magic Council, and how it is driving this multiple fused arcs portion of this Alternate Universe. Two person POV separated by ~~oo0oo~~ symbol.

CHAPTER 31

Lahar felt like his lungs were no longer collapsing and melting, a vast improvement. He breathed in the last of Ichiya Kotobuki's cure while gritting his teeth with each agonizing, shallow breath he managed to get into his seared lungs. He made a mental note to insure he never went anywhere near Kotobuki without a perfume nullifying rune covering his face in the future.

Now that the Council's orders were compromised by a Celestial Spirit, Lahar sought the communication lacrima tucked within his inner pocket. Fumbling to grasp the thin oblong, voice only tool, Lahar was reduced to painful hacking coughs as the previous deadly perfume began to come out of his system. A lumpy, fast clotting blood and phlegm chunk tore free and flew from his mouth. The nasty tasting globule landed on the ruined blue and pastel pink heart panel fringing of the ornate carpet beneath him.

Rolling onto his back to lay across the main fuchsia hued runner not touched by his or Neekis' blood, Lahar stared up at the ornate base-relief hearts and circles motif of Master Bob's palatial vacation home. The motif was stamped within each of the ceiling square inlays like a tacky honeymoon suite logo. The grand statue of Pegasus rearing near the front doors seemed to mock Lahar's current incapacitation. All because he had fallen victim to the Blue Pegasus ace's perfume.

Not that Lahar could legally, or even emotionally blame the man since Kotobuki was captured and replaced without anyone's knowledge. A masterful move on the side of Oracion Seis members that explained far more than Lahar was comfortable with admitting. Kotobuki had not harmed him, although Kotobuki Ichiya had refrained from giving him the same fast acting and painless cure he granted to Wizard Saint Neekis to buy them time to warn Fairy Tail's crazy Master about what was planned for Heartfilia. A slight that Lahar knew he would have likewise used in the man's shoes if he wished to protect an innocent enough person from being removed from the risk factor pool.

It was not as if Lahar enjoyed doing clandestine jobs for the Council because he did not like these underhanded murder schemes when they were handed to him to execute. Executions always turned Lahar's stomach. However, Lahar took his vows to obey the Council's rulings to heart in order to protect his country. To protect Fiore, he would do anything requested, no matter how dirty, to preserve the integrity of all Fiore's citizenry. If it meant killing a young girl to insure there was no leverage to use against the monarchy or citizens, Lahar would do his job as best he was able.

In the back of Lahar's mind, a new found sympathy for all Kotobuki Ichiya's arrest victims rose. Now that Lahar understood how vicious some of Ichiya's perfume potions were, it was impossible to laugh at the misfortune of law breakers enduring the agony of the healing phase. A powerful and borderline cruel alchemy based magic was now less firmly allied to the Council's whims, and that was not going to be taken well by the Council leaders when they found out.

Feeling the faceted oblong stone fall into his grasp, Lahar yanked it free of his uniform. After another pain wracked coughing spasm passed, Lahar managed to compose himself enough to call for backup. Sending tendrils of magic into the stone, the chimes of connection brought a subtle feeling of despair and anticipation.

"What do you have to report, Lahar?" Org's gravelly voice sliced through the air.

"Oracion Seis got the drop on us. Worst of all, their spy is a Celestial Spirit mage that uses a pair of spirits called Gemini which replicates others to perfection. The spirit reads their victim's minds, and can even use their powers, Sir." Lahar spat out between ragged gasps and another wrenching series of gagging coughs.

"So that's how they've evaded us for so long." A second, thoughtful masculine voice came through the crystal.

"How badly are you injured, Captain?" Councilman Yajima's concerned voice overrode the other council members babbling dissent.

"Kotobuki San gave me an antidote, although he made sure Wizard Saint Neekis got the faster acting and kinder healing perfume. I'm coughing up a lot of blood still. The attack damaged my lungs." Bitterness rang in Lahar's voice.

"I take it by your tone that your current assignment has been compromised, Captain?" Councilwoman Belno's voice flowed into the palatial room.

"Correct, Councilwoman," Lahar admitted with a shudder. "The spirits turned into me and told Wizard Saint Neekis, and Blue Pegasus Ace, Ichiya Kotobuki that the Blue Pegasus Bomber was intended to destroy Heartfilia as well as Oracion Seis members. Neither mage took the news well."

"What kind of damage control have you initiated?" Councilman Org's voice rasped like sandpaper over Lahar's ear drums.

"Nothing yet, Sir. I am in need of medical assistance, and back up. The imposter spirit turned Kotobuki's most dangerous perfume on me and Wizard Saint Neekis. Although the real mage escaped his confinement and has administered a slow acting antidote, I'm only now recovering enough to contact you." Hacking commenced yet again to drown out any of the Council members responses.

Once the clot clearing agony passed, Lahar caught part of what was being debated over his communicator. ". . . may jeopardize our position with the other guilds because of this unfortunate miscalculation. We'll need to have Doranbolt use his ability to remove memories and insure there is no evidence lying around." Council Woman Ultear's voice rang through Master Bob's palatial room.

Gagging on another fast rising blood clot, Lahar rolled and curled so his arms were bracing his torso as his body sought to expel the last of the infernal perfume laden blood and phlegm. The drone of voices filtered in between ragged, broken attempts to spit out more of the clotted goo that blocked Lahar's airway. On the heels of the final spasm, a frightful sized clot cleared Lahar's throat to splatter over the blue, pink, and red carpet runner.

Finally gaining the ability to breathe deep enough to get real relief, Lahar gulped in sweet oxygen. No longer straining to breathe, Lahar focused on the debate raging within the Council's chamber back in Era.

". . . demonstrates every single indicator of being the third complete symbiotic merge. Dreyer's exhibiting the onset of psychotic break because the lacrima is dissolving and fusing with his body on all levels, Chairman Doma Sama. Dreyer's freedom should be the key to finally apprehend Bellona who will not realize the lacrima is no more."

"We cannot lose control over that young man if we wish to complete our operation. So that means we may have to confine Laxus Dreyer even though you are correct that his freedom is key to flushing out his father and Bellona's whereabouts, Michello." Another male voice sliced through Lahar's ears.

Chairman Doma's voice bellowed over the rest of the Council's eruption. "Quiet!" The silence that filled the room had Lahar struggling against his desire to cough. "Doranbolt, take a medical team to assist Captain Lahar. Call the garrison closest to Woodsea so that we can detain everyone and insure the plan to kill Heartfilia is not leaked to the main guilds we control. Erase that portion of their memories, Stat. Now, Doctor Lanyard, explain this conclusion you've reached that Laxus Dreyer's lacrima has dissolved and fused with his body so that we can determine the best means to act in His Majesty's interests."

A feminine voice flowed into Lahar's ears as he tried to sit up again, with shaky success. "Managing the care of all of the lacrima implanted victims this Council handed over to the Bureau of Magical Development decades ago makes me the top authority of every branch of evolution and lacrima rejection that those unfortunate souls endured because of Bellona's vile experiments, Chairman. I have personally monitored and overseen every stage known to science to date."

"We already know you are the top expert, Doctor. Get on with explaining how you came to the conclusion already." Seigrain's distinctive voice flowed through the lacrima.

"Dreyer displays the distinctive signs of the lacrima power having merged the actual jewel into his body. Whether the lacrima has fully or only partially been absorbed at the moment is irrelevant since he has all the symptoms of full symbiosis the other two victims displayed during the same process. The psychotic phase will pass, but there will no longer be a physical gem for you to reclaim when the man dies. As the lacrima dissolves into the host body, there is no possibility of recovering the lacrima at all."

"So you are saying that a mage as powerful as Laxus Dreyer has become the actual lacrima for all practical purposes, and is now temporarily insane because of it, Doctor?" Org's voice sliced through the air.

"The insanity will pass so long as the shift in power, as the actual crystal matrix gets absorbed by his body, is managed properly. With Dreyer being on a difficult mission, he should expend enough of the lacrima's original power coursing through his blood and every tissue in his body to handle the extreme alterations happening on a biological level. I do not envy him the headaches he has no doubt been experiencing due to the lacrima having been placed behind his eye. Such a placement means he's probably going to have an upsurge in draconic instincts far above the rest of the natural Slayer's instinctive reactions for a time. Keeping those instincts calm as his body adjusts will become necessary to factor into any plans you may have for curbing him if you want your knights to survive the transition he is experiencing. Otherwise he could lose control over his magic, and as an S class mage, his lightning will prove deadly if he loses control over the beast's baser instincts."

Shaking his head, Lahar shoved his bangs out of his eyes and straightened his glasses. The doctor's words explained plenty about how the new Fairy Tail Master was behaving. Especially with his raging over all things Lucy Heartfilia oriented. All the while he listened to the meeting as Lahar sought to stand, he contemplated the new information. His legs and balance failed to work which irritated Lahar to no end as his mind gnawed on the new information. Dreyer having the hots for Lucy Heartfilia spelled trouble in spades. If the instincts were going haywire thanks to the lacrima when Dreyer obviously fancied the young ex heiress, it was no wonder the man was becoming so dangerous. Crawling to the stairs, Lahar found enough purchase to grab the banister and heave himself to his feet.

Teetering in place while clinging to the railing, Lahar found himself wondering if Laxus Dreyer was suffering agony due to the lacrima in his body disintegrating and infiltrating every bit of his being. It was rare that Lahar felt pity for anyone, but with the fresh experience of unbearable agony he had survived from Kotobuki's poison at the forefront of his thoughts, Lahar could not shake the sense of kinship felt toward another unfortunate soul.

"The final experiments I ran on the other two merge victims shows that the magic contained in the original lacrima also infiltrated the reproductive organs which means a likelihood of passing to offspring. The dissolving of the actual gem includes full diffusion through every tissue of the victim's body, Councilman. Sperm samples taken revealed lacrima specific power was present when we ran those particular medical checks. Therefore, once the final integration is complete, Laxus Dreyer could produce an heir who possesses the same exact dragon magic as was contained in the stolen lacrima forced into his body as a child." Lahar shuddered over the Doctor's calm words.

Seigrain's smooth voice purred. "It would seem that your old colleague, rumored to have connections to Oracion Seis, may be targeting Dreyer with this abduction of the Heartfilia heir. After all, Sorcerer's Weekly has proposed that Dreyer is inordinately fond of Heartfilia's daughter. As I understand things, Brain worked with you on this project plus has done his own experimenting with lacrima implants since escaping from justice a few years ago. Considering the gossip column, and the fact Dreyer has taken the bait, it seems quite probable that Brain is also after the man for nefarious reasons."

Doranbolt and three emergency medical techs charged into the room, the palace doors slamming into the wall as they scurried inside. Lahar knew that the medics did not have clearance to overhear Council debates so he cut his connection and dropped the lacrima sliver back into his pocket.

"Damn, you look like you got slaughtered and resurrected, Man." Doranbolt commented as he grabbed Lahar's arm to guide him closer to the medical crew unpacking their gear.

"Must look better than I feel then." Lahar croaked as his knees buckled.

Doranbolt shifted his grip on Lahar's side to haul him to the waiting medics. "Don't try to talk. Good thing we've got medics who know how to counter those nasty perfumes. You relax and I'll take charge of the operation. We'll get Seis behind bars this time."

Lahar nodded, sinking onto the levitating cot. Before Doranbolt could leave, he grabbed his arm. "They know the plan to get rid of Heartfilia's threat to the nation. Be careful because Neekis and Kotobuki are enraged over learning how they were being duped. As much as Master Dreyer loses his shit over the girl, he's going to be dangerous if they say anything to him. He's out of his mind at times, so be very careful, my Friend."

Doranbolt nodded with a grim visage. "I've already been told to wipe memories. I'll be cautious when I make contact with anyone who is aware of the situation. I've got a garrison to meet. Rest and be assured I won't fail to make sure Heartfilia's no longer a threat. It's possible we can still back out of Chairman Gran Doma's original kill order."

Lahar watched Doranbolt head toward the open doors as the medics began running a diagnostic lacrima rod over his chest. "If you encounter Dreyer, get the hell out of there fast. He's at his most dangerous right now. He's likely to kill you over the botched Heartfilia plan. Don't put the troops in danger if you can help it. Fairy Tail will go rogue if Kotobuki or Neekis have told them about what was planned."

Doranbolt hesitated in the doorway of the mansion, "You do realize we can neutralize the threat her father poses without killing the Heartfilia girl since Master Dreyer wants to press charges on Jude Heartfilia for seeking illegal medical procedures to force his daughter to comply with his desires to save his holdings through coercion into marriage, don't you?"

Lahar nodded. "Doesn't change the fact that Dreyer's dragon lacrima is in the process of disintegrating and merging with his body. He's not stable magically, or mentally right now. I've seen how dangerous he is at the moment. So be careful around him."

Doranbolt's back stiffened visibly. "Is he becoming a threat to everyone around him?"

Lahar heaved a sigh that ended in another fit of lung spasms. Once he recovered enough to speak, he sought to respond based on everything he had witnessed. "I think Master Dreyer is only a threat to anyone he views as dangerous to Miss Heartfilia for the moment. Monitor him in case he goes truly insane though."

Doranbolt twisted enough to look back at him. "Thanks for the tip. I'll keep an eye on things. So long as Makarov's grandson is focused on saving Heartfilia, I should be safe enough. Not like he's liable to see me as being as dangerous to her since I don't wear Captain bars. Fact is, I excel at not being viewed as a threat which is precisely what makes me so efficient in my job. Like I said before, he wants Jude Heartfilia out of the way, and if we follow through, His Majesty can break up the railways of this nation legally due to the criminal charges you already called in." Doranbolt held up an envelope. "King Toma has already been notified in fact. Therefore, the Heartfilia girl doesn't need to die in order for the Magic Council to neutralize the threat to our Economy."

With those words, Doranbolt vanished. Lahar was pushed onto his back as the medics shoved a vial of some horrid tasting liquid down his throat. All Lahar could do was hope that his second in command was correct as he was put to sleep a second time.

~~oo0oo~~

With the worst of her hunger pains handled, and Wendy insuring she did not vomit from going without food for so long, Lucy felt almost human. The cramping and twisting of her stomach had subsided and she was full for the first time in an undetermined number of days.

Keeping her thoughts focused on her irritation with being captured, Lucy turned to face the small girl she was trapped with as her curiosity began to take hold. "So tell me about yourself, Wendy Chan."

"Uhm, well I'm a mage with Cait Shelter. Since I'm a healer I'm often requested to do healing jobs in this area. Far as I know, I'm the reason Chief Roubual decided to become a registered guild. He thought that my healing magic was too beneficial to keep me hidden away. The others don't have very strong magics, but they are wonderful people who love each other a lot. Everyone helps me to learn more about my magic as best they can, but none of them are Dragon Slayers, so I'm not very strong."

"Wait." Lucy's hand shot outward toward the girl as she tried to comprehend what Wendy was saying. "Did you say you're a Dragon Slayer? Like Natsu and Gajeel kind of dragon slayer?"

Wendy nodded as her face morphed into mottled red and white splotches, and she twiddled her fingers together. "I wish I could meet Natsu Dragneel some day. I've always wished to learn more about how to be a proper Slayer. Right now I'm really weak. I can do a Dragon's Roar, but mostly I can only use my wind magic to heal people or give them support. To be honest, I'm not very good at fighting at all."

The hang dogged expression on the small girl's face made Lucy shake her head in mild exasperation. "I think it's fine if you aren't a walking destruction zone like Natsu. He's my partner and best friend, but I'm not sure you want to learn from him. He has no concept of pulling his punches, and you could get hurt if you try to train with him." Lucy focused on the dilemma presented by Wendy's admission. "Then again, I'm sure Natsu could give you tips on combat magic. The main problem is finding a way to keep him from actually catching you in the blast radius of his own attacks as he demonstrates them."

"Lucy San, do you really think he would teach me how to fight? Grandeeny didn't have much time to teach me before she vanished. I haven't really mastered wing attacks and my roar is really pathetic."

Seeing how much doubt clouded Wendy's eyes, Lucy grabbed her upper arm and gave it a comforting squeeze. "I'd say that part of the problem is being so young. Natsu and Gajeel are older than you are, Wendy. I'm sure that you will be just as destructive as those two as you grow up. However, I hope you'll keep working with your healing magic since that is a very rare gift. This world needs healing magic a lot more than it needs another one person destruction crew. We've got lots of them roaming around Fairy Tail already. A mage that can heal is unheard of, so that's something to have pride in being able to do."

Wendy's lips tilted upward as the dampness reflected in her eyes shifted away from actual tears. "You really think so?"

Lucy smiled back. "I know so."

Before she could encourage the small girl further the door was shoved open again, and Cobra with his sleepy friend entered the impromptu jail riding on the carpet. "Now we can get down to business since you're done eating."

Hearing the cocky man's words reminded Lucy that she had a reason to be furious. "If you want a thank you, then say it. I'm not in the mood to play games with you, Cobra."

The sleepy mage chuckled while unleashing a massive yawn. "Is that any way to speak to the duo trying to help you ut of your current very bad situation, Heartfilia?"

"Can it, Midnight. I'm the one who had the idea. At least Brain's willing to negotiate." Cobra snarled as he twisted to face the black and white haired mage.

"Only because I think you have the best idea to achieve our final goal of getting rid of the Magic Council and insuring slavery is irradicated for good. If I hadn't backed your argument, Father never would have given you this opportunity to make the woman such a splendid offer." Midnight shot back in an amused tone.

Feeling young Wendy snuggle into her side, Lucy put her arm around the young girl while glaring at their captors. "Why would I believe anything you two might offer? Either way, you plan to do something terrible to innocent people."

"Calm your tits long enough to hear us out, Spitfire. You have no idea what's at stake, so you don't judge what we're doing without real information." Cobra snapped back.

Lucy felt Wendy's shudder against her side. The poor child was frightened of this pair, and having been a prisoner longer than herself, Lucy felt her fury reach a new peak. "Easy for you to say. Far harder for you to prove."

"The Sky Maiden has a choice too. Since I'm a dragon slayer I can teach her all about combat magic if she's willing to stop being such a whiner. Problem is, she's got to learn to stand on her own two feet before she can learn shit from me." Cobra answered with a mocking sneer as he pulled a book from his jacket. "As to you, Spitfire, it's obvious you don't know shit about your actual magic beyond summoning spirits. We have lots of information you can have, so long as you're willing to work with us."

Lucy felt a sliver of excitement flash through her system. Her father had always forbidden her to learn more than the most rudimentary control over her magic. Bero had tried to do all he could for her, but Lucy was never allowed to learn anything beyond summoning and feeding her spirits enough of her own magic to be safe. The part of Lucy that wanted to be a strong mage in her own right was practically drooling over the book with gold embossed title "Celestial Spells For All Situations" which was written in old script Caelum dialect. Master Belno had taught her the main language of Celestial Magic knowledge in hopes she would be able to get her hands on the actual books covering the subject.

Yet the rest of Lucy was fighting that desire to snatch said book from the purple haired menace's hands. If she gave into her desire to learn under such a blatant form of blackmail, Lucy knew she would lose any right to call herself a Celestial Mage at all. She would be compromising the very foundations her mother and Master Belno had taught her to uphold.

"You can't hide your interest in this little book, Spitfire. Seems to me that we need each other more than you want to admit too." Cobra pointed out as he tossed the book her way. "Like Midnight said, one of our long term goals is to get rid of Slavery. Can you really say that's a bad thing?"

Wendy caught the book before it could be damaged, and handed it to Lucy before settling against her side to help prop her up as much as seek reassurance. Looking at the book now in her hands, Lucy swallowed hard. It was very tempting, but the way these people were going about getting rid of a horrific evil bordered on being equally evil far as Lucy could tell.

"If your intentions are so noble, why kidnap us? Something about what you're saying seems off to me. You wouldn't be part of a dark guild if you really had good intentions." Lucy countered as she set the book aside.

Midnight chuckled. "Stubborn and smart too. Great combination of traits. As to why we are a dark guild? It isn't like the Magic Council is innocent of crimes, Woman. Did you know they put a death warrant on you because your dear father has threatened to shut down all commerce through shutting down his railway if he doesn't get to sell you off to the highest bidder? Your death gets rid of the problem. So you should be thanking us for protecting your pretty little ass."

"Last I overheard, I'm a hostage because your leader thinks I have some crazy super magic that doesn't exist as far as I know. So why would I believe this story about my father that you're claiming is real? The Magic Council has no reason to want to hurt me since I've never done anything wrong. I even signed the waivers that removed me from being the Heartfilia Heir so I am worthless to my father now." Lucy spoke in a hyper sugary tone that belied her anger.

Her maroon haired jailor chuckled. "I hear the doubts you want to hide. You know your father is stupid enough to try something that extreme or you wouldn't be considering the possibilities in the back of your pretty little head, Spitfire."

"It's the truth that we're telling you, and part of you knows it. The fact the Council is willing to kill you is precisely the kind of reason that we became a Dark Guild. Being experimented on is the other reason we hate the Magic Council with every breath we take. Our leader, Brain? He used to work in Isvan at the Bureau of Magical Development as a Scientist for the Magic Council. The experiments were pretty nasty so it was housed off shore in another nation to protect the Council's less savory dabbling. He's as much a victim of said experiments as we are. He has a second personality, called Zero that we help him keep locked away because of what was done to him before he rescued us from slavery as children. Hence the reason some of us call him Father. So why not stand up to the Magic Council the only way possible for those of us who survived that shit?! Wouldn't you?" Midnight asked in a biting tone.

Unable to argue the man's commentary, Lucy felt her eyebrows creasing as she considered what was being said to her. What if they were telling the truth? Nothing in the sleepy mage's suddenly very alert expression gave Lucy reason to doubt his honest looking anger. She knew nothing about these people beyond the facts that they abducted her due to believing she was something that she knew she could not be.

"Trust me, Spitfire, whether or not you are an actual phenomena doesn't matter in the end. The very fact anyone has made that accusation is a kill-able offense far as the Magic Council is concerned. They don't tolerate any possible hints of such a power surviving, so you're better off sticking with us if you want to stay alive."

"Cobra's right. Father can determine whether or not you happen to be what the Council thinks you are. If you do have Phenomena powers, then you're as good as dead without his training in controlling and hiding it. Whether you agree with our methods or not doesn't matter. We can't stop the Magic Council or the worst of the dark guilds behaviors any other way than we already are using. Are we ruthless? Only when we believe we have to win. Since the Magic Council is vicious, we have to be vicious as well. So keep that in mind before you discount everything we are telling you." Midnight added before Lucy could respond.

Wendy's sniffles captured Lucy's attention. The little girl was crying as she leaned against Lucy's shoulder. Exhausted from staying awake as long as she had, Lucy still tried to comfort the little girl who was helping stabilize her body. She had no proof that these two men were being honest, and yet the doubts created had Lucy biting her bottom lip.

"Show me proof and I'll consider what you've said. Otherwise, I have to assume you are both lying to me in order to make your jobs easier." Lucy finally conceded aloud.

Wendy began crying even harder when Cobra nodded as he jerked off his jacket and slid onto the rumbling floor. "Easy. We all have slavery scars. If not for Brain, we'd all be dead right now."

Jerking off his shirt, the maroon haired man turned around in slow motion showing off a multitude of deep scars. For all Lucy had been sheltered through her young life, the cross hatch of damage covering the man's torso was a compelling argument beyond words. Heartbreak engulfed Lucy as she took in the vast network of ridges, discolorations, and dips marring the man's skin. She could not claim to be repulsed by the scars, but the sheer magnitude of what was displayed made it difficult to deny their story any longer.

"I'll think bout what you've both said. I'm too tired to really stay awake for now. But the next time I wake up, I promise to give your talk serious thought." Lucy finally managed to respond as Cobra pulled his shirt back on and hid the vast damage marring his body.

"Works for us, Spitfire." The surly man answered.

Lucy watched as Cobra pulled himself back onto the carpet, complexion noticeably paler than normal with a touch grayish green belying the obvious nausea he had to be handling due to being a Dragon Slayer. Experience with dealing with Natsu's stomach troubles when he had to use transportation of any kind collaborated that bit of information alongside the scarring that she had been shown. She could at least have confidence that Cobra knew slavery and was an actual Dragon Slayer. So it was possible that her father had made threats if he did not get his way in the end.

It hurt to think that the Magic Council thought she was dangerous to the welfare of Fiore because of her stupid, greedy father. The thought threatened to destroy every dream Lucy held dear. Whether Lucy agreed with this dark guild or not, she did understand that bad choices had been made by these people. If they truly believed they had no other recourse, it even made sense that they felt they had to go to war with the Magic Council. It did not make it right, but Lucy could not find it in herself to hate them any longer. Feeling more torn than ever, Lucy pulled Wendy closer and collapsed across her cot. She heard the door squeal in protest as her jailors left the debris strewn excuse of a jail. Heaving a sigh, Lucy stroked Wendy's back and hair until she fell asleep.


	34. Chapter 34

My apologies for taking so long to get on here, and only have an Author's note to share with you guys. As everyone knows, the first part of March saw the death of an elder who I was the main care giver for, and his death threw everything into chaos for me. The thing nobody knew when I wrote the last Author's Note was that I was going to be offered a once in a lifetime deal to move into a better home with a large yard for my dog, and the big old love of a Rottweiler Shepard mix that my client owned before me. It's been a radical and crazy pack up, move, unpacking, and many other unexpected things that have been clogging my schedule ever since I told everyone that my world was thrown into chaos by said death.

Likewise I wish to extend an apology to fellow LaLu writers who have made me aware I have a genuine cyber stalker on here. Not that I can do anything about an unhinged individual who is a Laxus hater of the most virulent strain, but I did place information about handling Trolls as prescribed by psychologists and the like on my main profile in order to help those who need the information to cope with their own brushes with said lunatic. Said Troll turned apparent stalker is no doubt mentally ill, so your best option is to turn in reviews not related to your own stories if your own tales get hit. As said individual seems to be determined to bring up my pen name, and spew hate, simply turn it in to the moderation group as unrelated to your stories when they do such, place their name on the banned list and place guest review approval filter on your stories. Whatever else you do, try to ignore them outside of everyone making a point of turning them over to the moderation people on this site. Mentally ill people need professional care and medication. Make sure you do not share private information about yourself with such an individual. Be safe everyone. Again, I am saddened by this situation, but this is the only viable advice I can, along with my condolences that some people are so unhinged and desperate for attention as to fill up other writers reviews with hate spewed for my screen name. The inconvenience to my fellow writers is a source of great remorse to me, as I have nothing to do with the character, nor have any idea of who the person is outside of a couple screen names that have been on this site for a couple of years now. Sorry for the headaches that none of us wanted or desired. No idea why this person is so obsessed, and there is nothing I can outside of continue to write what I love and that is wast I am going to do no matter this twisted individual's squawking and screaming. Ignore them or hand them over to the powers in control of this site. Perhaps if they are thrown off here enough times, FFnet moderators will use their IP address

On a nicer note; Multiple reviews and PMs included the question of where to read the ongoing and heavy revised edition of Star Song. I've been getting a bit of time free now that I can walk through my new place without breaking my toes on moving boxes, getting a new fridge, and other as sundry needed appliances and the like. So yeah, things are coming together, and I have a full, heavily revised 16 chapters up at AO3. It's helping get me back into the swing of writing after so long away from my writing programs. So for those guests who were asking about the revised edition, that's the low down. While I am catching my breath and getting the last of my move and such sorted out, I will be focused on the revising of Star Song for a little bit. Need the breathing space, but I am not abandoning any of my stories at all. I'm simply making sure I fix the trilogy's first novel for Star Singer's universe. Scribe and I are fine tooth combing that story, and it is a more adult version with pervy Laxus on full display since it is not against the rules at AO3, unlike FFnet. So for those who were wanting that info, that's it. Archive Of Our Own, KurahieiritrJIO and I am going to be doing multiple updates of that revised edition next.


End file.
